Ko Wen-je, a politician from Taiwan, was charged with corruption and could spend up to 28.5 years behind bars

Ko Wen-je, a former mayor of Taipei and a presidential candidate, faces up to 28.5 years in prison after being charged with corruption.

Former Taipei mayor and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je was charged on Thursday with corruption, including taking $500,000 in bribes connected to a real estate transaction while serving as mayor and falsifying campaign finance reports from his January run for office.

Ko has disputed the charges, and prosecutors are requesting a maximum sentence of 28.5 years.

The Taiwan People Party (TPP), which he established as a rival to the country’s dominant Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and principal opposition Kuomintang (KMT), has suffered a serious setback as a result of his indictment.

In Taiwan’s divided political environment, Ko, who received more than 25% of the vote in the January presidential election, had established himself as a “third choice.”

But after his detention and the indictment of many party members for embezzling campaign money, his and the TPP’s political futures are still in doubt.

Although Ko’s substantial electoral support, according to observers, highlighted the public’s desire for a more pluralistic political landscape in Taiwan, the corruption allegations have the potential to change both his legacy and the course of the TPP.