The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei.
The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail.
After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural meeting between the prosecution and defense scheduled for 9:30am.
After the meeting concluded at about 10am, the detention hearing began at 2pm.
Police said they had mobilized 400 personnel to maintain order around the district court on Boai Road in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正) and would remove protesters if they held signs or shouted slogans.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The court released its verdict ordering Ko’s detention at about 5:20pm.
Ko can appeal the ruling.
“It is regrettable that the court made such a decision, but we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence in accordance with the law,” TPP Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) wrote on Facebook shortly after the verdict.
A statement posted later by the TPP on Facebook said that Ko had been “unfairly treated” by the district court and asked why Monday’s decision had been reversed.
“The TPP will resolutely support Chairman Ko in defending his innocence,” the party said.
The TPP leader was seen at 5:50pm entering a vehicle in handcuffs before being driven to the Taipei Detention Center in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城).
In accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), Ko can be lawfully detained for up to four months while prosecutors continue their investigation.
Prosecutors allege that Ko was involved in dealings that contravened the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022.
Core Pacific Group (威京集團) chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) allegedly gave Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) more than NT$47.4 million (US$1.48 million) as part of his company’s efforts to illegally lobby the Taipei City Government to increase the floor area ratio of Core Pacific City, a redevelopment project in Songshan District (松山), to boost the property’s value.
Prosecutors alleged that Ying was a go-between for Sheen and top city officials, including then-Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲).
They also suspect that Ko was involved in the alleged illegal activity.
Ko has denied this.
The district court yesterday ruled that Ko “clearly knew” that raising the floor area ratio of the Core Pacific City property was illegal, yet he “insisted” that it happen.
It said that Ko’s case formally meets the requirements for the crime of knowingly “seeking unlawful gains for oneself or for others” as stipulated in Article 6 of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
Due to the severity of the alleged crime and the scale of gains, it was necessary and in the public interest to detain Ko and hold him incommunicado, as the risk of him colluding with others or destroying evidence is sufficiently strong, it said.
Ko joins Ying, Sheen, Pong and Ying’s assistant Wu Shun-min (吳順民) who are being held incommunicado as suspects in the ongoing investigation.
According to the Anti-Corruption Act, taking bribes that undermine official duties can be punishable by a prison sentence of no less than 10 years, while “directly or indirectly seeking unlawful gains for oneself or others” can result in a prison sentence of no less than five years.
Ko and the TPP are also linked to a separate criminal investigation relating to campaign finance reporting discrepancies dating to the campaign for January’s presidential election.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
RSS