TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) released a poll on Thursday (Jan. 9) revealing significant public skepticism regarding the prosecution of Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on corruption charges.
Ko Wen-je, former Taipei mayor and TPP chairman, was detained in connection with a corruption case involving Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心). He was accused of accepting bribes from Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), chairman of the Core Pacific Group (威京集團), in exchange for approving an increased floor area ratio for the redevelopment of Core Pacific City.
The survey, conducted by Jing Que Market Research Co., Ltd. (精確市場研究有限公司) between Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, found that 41.5% of respondents believe the evidence against Ko is insufficient.
The poll also highlighted concerns about the fairness and transparency of legal proceedings. According to the results, 35.2% of respondents feel the prosecution process lacks impartiality. In comparison, 42.8% criticize the investigators for not adhering to the principle of confidentiality—additionally, 66.4% of those surveyed support live broadcasting of court proceedings in high-profile cases.
Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), the TPP's caucus leader, criticized Ko's four-month detention, calling the indictment a mockery within legal circles. He also accused the government of Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of damaging judicial credibility, urging the public to protest against perceived judicial injustices on Sunday.