A Taiwan court has sentenced former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je to 17 years in jail, after finding him guilty of corruption and misuse of political donations.
Once a rising star in Taiwanese politics and a presidential contender, the 65-year-old was accused of accepting more than half a million dollars in bribes involving a real estate deal during his term as mayor, as well as misreporting campaign finances during his run for president in January.
Ko, who is the founder of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Huang Kuo-chang, the current chairman of the TPP had previously described the charges against Ko as being politically motivated.
Prosecutors had originally asked for more than 28 years in jail for Ko, saying he had accepted 17.1 million Taiwan dollars ($535,000; £400,000) in bribes.
