Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges.
Taipei prosecutors in December last year asked the Taipei District Court for a combined 28-year, six-month sentence for the four cases against Ko, who founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
The cases were linked to the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project and the mismanagement of political donations.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA
Other defendants convicted on separate charges included Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), who was handed a 15-year, six-month sentence; Core Pacific Group (威京集團) chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), who was given 10 years.
Also receiving jail terms were Huang Ching-mao (黃景茂), former head of the Taipei Department of Urban Development (six years, six months); Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), office manager in charge of Ko’s presidential campaign finances (four years, six months); Shao Hsiu-pei (邵琇珮), former Taipei Urban Planning Commission executive secretary (one year, three months, suspended); and Tuanmu Cheng (端木正), an accountant (one year).
Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), who was Taipei deputy mayor while Ko was in office, was convicted on charges of illegal profiteering for his role in the Core Pacific case and handed a two-year suspended sentence.
The district court ruling can be appealed, with Ko’s lawyers saying that they planned to do so.
The trial also covered charges related to Ko’s dealings when he was Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022, and during his presidential campaign in January 2024.
The other charges included breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例): embezzlement of political donations, illicit funds transfers to pay campaign expenses, false declarations of assets relating to political donations and taking bribes.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The court said that it found sufficient evidence from seized records, office documents, and testimony from defendants and witnesses to convict Ko on the corruption charges, which carried a 13-year sentence; two years for illegal profiteering; three-and-a-half years for embezzlement; and two-and-a-half years for breach of trust.
The evidence showed that Ko had received bribes originating from Sheen and his executives that had a direct bearing on the decision to increase the floor area ratio of the Core Pacific City project to up to 840 percent, the court said.
The change gave permission for more floor space in the project, boosting potential returns, with the decisions approved by the Taipei City Government during Ko’s tenure, it said.
Ko has been ruled out of contesting the 2028 presidential election in accordance with the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), which stipulates that people convicted and sentenced to 10 years or more are ineligible to run for office.
Ying was convicted of accepting bribes in breach of public office duty and money laundering. In addition to her jail sentence, she was deprived of her civil rights for six years and fined NT$10 million (US$313,430).
Sheen was found guilty of illegal profiteering and bribing public officials. He was deprived of his civil rights for five years and fined NT$20 million.
Ko’s lawyers asked the court to reduce the NT$70 million bail he posted last year and lift the requirement that he wear an electronic monitor, but the bail judge denied the requests.
The bail court also denied requests from Sheen and Ying to have additional bail amounts of NT$30 million lifted.
It said that as they had received heavy sentences, the reasons for their high bonds — including the likelihood of flight and tampering with evidence — remained in effect.
A crowd of about 200 TPP supporters gathered outside the Taipei District Court on Boai Road, as party executives told reporters they had mobilized people from across Taiwan, to give support to Ko, who was mandated to attend in person to hear the court’s ruling.
“Ko Wen-je is innocent,” they shouted after the ruling was announced.
Others outside the court shouted that Ko is a “major offender” and must serve prison time.
Police put up metal barricades to separate the two sides.
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