The presidential office responded on Sunday to speculation about President Ma Ying-jeou’s campaign spending, saying that the spending was in accordance with the law.
The speculation was the latest in a string of criticism from Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. The mayor on Sunday questioned Ma’s spending in both of his campaigns for mayor, and his two successful presidential campaigns. Ko was speaking at a Taipei City conference on the format for BOT projects.
Ko questioned whether the president had reported the correct amount of campaign spending to the nation’s watchdog body – the Control Yuan. He said that the question of campaign financing was a fundamental problem with politics in Taiwan, and a complicated issue involving the relationship between government and business.
Presidential Office Spokesman Charles Chen refuted the speculation on Sunday, saying that the president’s campaign spending reports were accurate and in keeping with the law. He welcomed anyone with evidence to the contrary to step forward, saying that the president could stand up to the most rigorous of investigations.