TAIPEI (TVBS News)—Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) admitted on Monday (Aug. 26) to purchasing his office using election subsidies, explaining that he followed precedents set by other political parties. His admission comes amid ongoing controversies over political donations.
Recently, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) revealed that Ko bought a commercial office near the Legislative Yuan in May for NT$43 million in cash.
Ko emphasized that TPP regulations allow one-third of election subsidies to go to the central party and two-thirds to the individual.
Vicky Chen (陳智菡), deputy head of the TPP legislative caucus, likened Ko's actions to those of former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who also had a personal office. However, Tsai's office clarified that she never used election subsidies to purchase real estate.
The Kuomintang (KMT) responded that its financial situation was tight and that it uses election subsidies for party operations and staff salaries. KMT presidential candidates Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) and Chao-kang (趙少康) are entitled to NT$140.13 million in election subsidies. Hou previously announced that he would return the money to the central party for overall planning.
As the debate over election subsidy usage continues, this issue may prompt further scrutiny of financial practices among Taiwan's political parties.