The Taipei District Court yesterday approved extending the detention of Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇), while the High Court rejected real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing’s (沈慶京) appeal to end his detention.
The two are both being held as part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project, which has embroiled Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Ying of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is accused of acting as a go-between between Sheen and high-ranking city government officials in the construction project, including then-Taipei mayor Ko.
Photo: CNA
Sheen, founder and chairman of the Core Pacific Group (威京集團), is alleged to have bribed Taipei city officials to illegally increase the floor area ratio of a site formerly occupied by Core Pacific City to raise the property’s value.
Ko, Sheen and Ying have all denied the allegations.
Ying is to be held incommunicado for two more months as of today, under the Taipei District Court ruling.
The district court determined that Ying could potentially tamper with evidence or collude with coconspirators, as her statements on the case greatly differ from those of other witnesses and suspects, while other witnesses and potential accomplices have yet to be tracked down.
Ying also poses a flight risk, as she has the means to flee abroad for an extended period, the court said.
After being detained on Aug. 29, Sheen has been taken out of prison for medical treatment three times, being hospitalized the last time on Oct. 1 and taken back into custody on Oct. 15.
Sheen’s attorney applied for the suspension of his detention, citing his poor health. The Taipei District Court rejected the request, saying the hospital’s report on Sheen’s health condition did not markedly differ from previous ones and did not indicate that he needed long-term specific medical care.
Sheen appealed the ruling to the High Court.
In the second instance, the High Court rejected the appeal, saying the ruling in the first instance was clear in its statement, and in line with the rules of experience and logic.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS