Former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) was among the first of those indicted with former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People Party’s (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on charges of bribery and corruption to be released on bail this morning as he left the Taipei District Court.
It was expected that Pong would be released on bail as he had pleaded guilty during the investigation and had been unwell, Pong’s lawyer said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Pong told investigators what needed to be told, his lawyer said.
However, Pong’s bail, which was NT$5 million (US$150,000), exceeded what his family had expected, he said.
Pong was seen smiling and waving to reporters when he left the court.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), finance chief of Ko's 2024 election campaign, who was also among the first of the defendants to be released on bail, left the court at 10.30am today.
Lee, who was released on bail of NT$10 million, wore a yellow jacket and a mask, holding hands with his family.
Ko, Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) and Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), founder and chairman of the real estate conglomerate Core Pacific Group, are still waiting for their lawyers or family to pay their respective bails.
According to today's ruling, Ko is to be released on bail of NT$30 million, Ying on bail of NT$15 million and Sheen on bail of NT$40 million.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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