Taipei Prosecutor Hsueh Wei-ping (
Ko has been detained on charges of fraud, forgery and breach of trust since Aug. 7 last year.
"The two new charges were for offences against personal liberty and intimidation," said Chen Hung-ta (陳宏達), spokesman for the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office. "His behavior has disturbed public order and he should be properly punished for it."
Ko allegedly harassed China Development Financial Holding Corp Chairman Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英) and China Development Industrial Asset Management Corp chairman Benny Hu (胡定吾) when they visited the Taipei Court Building for hearings in July, 2000.
Ko also allegedly tried to court the public spotlight by stopping Liu and Hu and jumping on the hood of Liu's limousine as they left the court.
Ko was arrested by special agents from the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation at his Hsichih apartment home after he twice failed to respond to summonses from Hsueh.
On Dec. 6, Hsueh indicted Ko for taking out mortgages to purchase 26 near-bankrupt companies between 1996 and 1997 before forging and selling shares in the companies, none of which were listed on the stock market.
Prosecutors allege he fraudulently told investors that the companies were manufacturing computer- and biotechnology-related products.
Hsueh's indictment states that Ko, having made no payments on the 26 mortgages, is guilty of breach of trust. In addition, it stated that some of the companies are effectively non-existent.
Ko has become infamous for his publicity stunts, including appearing behind interviewees on daily TV news coverage, taking stray dogs with him to protest at government offices and bombarding the phone lines of business with computerized phone calls.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS