The Taipei District Court last night released former Eastern Multimedia chairman Gary Wang (王令麟) on NT$350 million (US$10.3 million) bail.
At the request of the Taiwan High Court, the district court yesterday reheard prosecutors’ request to keep Wang in detention.
Wang cried as he told the court that he had never once thought of absconding.
“The Bureau of Investigation’s information that I would flee to China via Penghu was false, and this information damaged my credibility and upset me,” Wang told the court. “My bail money came from my relatives, friends and coworkers. I will not leave debt behind. My mother is more than 80 years old and needs to be accompanied to the hospital regularly. I shall not leave her alone.”
Wang said he would agree to wear an electronic tag if he were granted bail again.
Wang’s lawyer Hsu Wen-bin (許文彬) urged the court to grant bail by citing the Bureau of Investigation’s surveillance record.
“The record shows that Wang stuck to his regular routine from the first day of his bail. There is insufficient evidence of any urgent need to detain him,” Hsu said.
Former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union legislator Tsai Hau (蔡豪) was summoned as a witness in yesterday’s hearing, as prosecutors had speculated that he might try to help Wang escape.
Tsai said law enforcement personnel had failed to seek confirmation for their tip-offs.
Wang was detained for a second time after a short hearing on Jan. 21, which came after the Bureau of Investigation said it had received a tip that he was planning to abscond via Penghu.
Wang was first taken into custody in June 2007 following the exposure of the Rebar Group’s financial woes.
He was released in May last year on NT$350 million (US$10.3 million) bail. On Dec. 31 last year, the district court sentenced Wang to 18 years in jail and fined him NT$700 million.
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