Company boss and accountant released on bail in connection with TPP financial scandal

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) — The head of a company closely linked to TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and an accountant hired by the party during the January presidential election were granted bail Thursday by prosecutors as part of an investigation into the TPP's campaign finances.

After a search on Wednesday at MuKo Public Relations, a company next to Ko's party office that sells goods bearing his “kp” logo, prosecutors also questioned four other people with ties to the company and the TPP.

Ko told reporters on Thursday morning that it would be “normal, it's nothing” if prosecutors summoned him for questioning later, downplaying concerns about the scandal over alleged misrepresentation of campaign finances during January's presidential election that rocked Taiwan's third-largest political party this week.

Li Wen-chuan (李文娟), chairman of MuKo Public Relations, was released on bail of NT$1.5 million (US$46,424), while Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), an accountant hired by Ko's campaign team, was released on bail of NT$1 million.

Both are suspected of forgery. As part of their bail conditions, they are under electronic monitoring and are not allowed to leave Taiwan.

He Ai-ting (何璦廷), an assistant at MuKo, was also released on bail of NT$500,000 after being questioned by investigators.

In addition, Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), the financial director of Ko's January campaign team, Chen Wei-hsuan (陳韋瑄), Tuanmu's accounting assistant, and Tai Li-ling (戴利玲), a representative of two other companies involved in the case, were interrogated but released without bail.

The TPP has blamed Tuanmu, the accountant it hired during the election campaign, for the discrepancies in campaign spending. The party admitted on Monday that the total amount was NT$18.17 million.

According to Vicky Chen (陳智菡), then deputy head of Ko's campaign office, Tuanmu declared this amount as expenses for OCT Entertainment Co., Neo Creative Marketing Production Co. and MuKo Public Relations without notifying the party's campaign team.

Tuanmu responded with a statement denying any wrongdoing and saying he was “confident” that the prosecution service and the Control Yuan, which oversees campaign donations, will be able to “carefully investigate relevant evidence” and “clarify [my] Name.”

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office launched an investigation on Monday under the leadership of Prosecutor Tang Chung-ching (唐仲慶) and conducted searches at all three companies.

At around 12:22 p.m. on Wednesday, investigators were seen leaving the MuKo office, located next to Ko's office in the Taiwan Glass Building in Taipei's Songshan District, with several boxes full of evidence.

TPP Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Fu (許甫) told reporters shortly afterwards that the search had not involved TPP offices, but that the party had already “voluntarily” handed over six boxes of documents from the January presidential election period.

In an interview with reporters outside his home around 7:20 a.m. on Thursday, Ko said he “remains confident” about the TPP's position “because there is a receipt for every expenditure.”

“Whether every receipt is appropriate is of course up for debate, but legally speaking there is a receipt for every expense, that much is certain,” he added.

Ko told reporters that given the size of the accounts, he could “accept” a discrepancy of “several thousand” Taiwan dollars, but that a deficit of more than 20 million was “unexpectedly reckless.”