The Taipei District Court yesterday granted bail to former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), after the completion of cross-examinations in the Core Pacific City corruption case.
The two were granted bail of NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) and NT$30 million respectively.
If released, Ko and Ying would have to wear ankle monitors and reside at their registered addresses, and would be barred from leaving the country or contacting other people involved in the case.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ko and Ying are the only two defendants still in detention, which was set to end on Oct. 1.
A hearing was held on Thursday to decide whether their detention should be extended.
Ko’s lawyers last night said that he needs more time to consider whether to post bail.
Ying posted bail and was released last night.
After intensive hearings and cross-examinations, Ko and Ying could be released, as the risk of them destroying evidence or colluding with others has been significantly reduced, court spokesperson Huang Ping-chin (黃柄縉) said.
However, prosecutors said there is still a risk of collusion, as additional witnesses, such as Ko’s close aide Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), still need to be questioned.
Hsu, who was Ko’s aide during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022, is wanted by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau.
Hsu is believed to have fled overseas on Aug. 29 last year and could be in Japan or Australia, the bureau said in April.
However, witness statements and conversation records about Hsu’s involvement are already on file, it added.
As it is uncertain whether Hsu could be apprehended, detaining Ko and Ying solely on those grounds cannot be justified, the court said.
The decision to grant Ko and Ying bail could be appealed, Huang said.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in a statement thanked the court for “returning the right to receive a fair trial” to Ko.
NT$70 million is a huge amount for a doctor’s family, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) wrote on Facebook, adding that he worried Ko would not accept it, as the amount is unreasonable.
However, getting Ko out is the most important thing, he said, describing the case as “malicious political persecution.”
TPP secretary-general Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修) said the party and its lawyers are working on gathering bail money, but that it takes time.
Asked whether he is worried that the party would not know who to listen to after Ko is released, Huang said there would be no re-election for its leadership and that the party would follow its rules.
Ko and Ying were among 11 people indicted in December last year over a corruption case in which Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) allegedly bribed Ko for favorable treatment during his time as mayor.
The investigation into the Core Pacific City redevelopment project began after a sharp increase in the project’s floor area ratio from 560 percent to 840 percent.
Ko was charged on four counts, including allegedly receiving a NT$15 million bribe from Sheen. Prosecutors are seeking a prison term of 28 years and six months.
Ying was indicted for allegedly receiving NT$52.5 million in three installments from Sheen to facilitate an increase in the project’s floor area ratio. Prosecutors are seeking a 16-year prison term and NT$50 million in fines.
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