TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) is facing escalating corruption allegations, as Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), the campaign manager for TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), plans to file a lawsuit against accountant Tuan Mu-cheng (端木正) on Wednesday (Aug. 14) afternoon.
Ko has been accused of misreporting political donations during his presidential campaign. At a press conference on Monday, the TPP admitted to misreporting expenses totaling more than half a million U.S. dollars and blamed Tuan for the oversight. TPP spokeswoman Vicky Chen (陳智菡) stated that since the party paid Tuan for his services, he must fulfill his obligations and bear legal responsibility for any inaccuracies.
Tuan responded through a friend, claiming that he was the only one present during the audit held on Aug. 10, with both Ko and Huang absent. He expressed frustration, stating that the TPP unfairly blamed him for the misreporting, turning him from the victim into the culprit.
In response to Tuan's account, Chen criticized him for lying and pointed out that he was present when TPP members uncovered the falsified accounts. Chen explained that although Ko and Huang were not present during the audit, it was supervised by Ko's campaign manager Vincent Chou (周榆修), along with another accountant and six other team members.
As the scandal continues to unfold, voters are closely watching to see whether the TPP, which recently shook up Taiwan's political landscape, will survive this significant controversy.