Prosecutors yesterday filed a second appeal against the Taipei District Court’s decision to release Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on increased bail, citing his “substantial influence.”
Granting Ko NT$70 million (US$2.14 million) bail could affect codefendants and witnesses, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.
In addition to Ko, the appeal also challenges the release of three other suspects in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), finance chief of Ko’s presidential election campaign, and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇).
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Ko, the TPP’s presidential candidate last year, was indicted on Thursday last week on charges of bribery and other forms of corruption in connection with real-estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022.
The court initially granted Ko NT$30 million bail, which allowed him to be released from about four months of detention while awaiting trial. However, prosecutors quickly filed an appeal, and on Sunday, the High Court overruled the lower court’s decision, ordering a reconsideration of releasing him on bail.
Following a detention hearing on Sunday evening, the Taipei District Court increased Ko’s bail to NT$70 million on the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device.
Ko faces a total sentence of 28.5 years, including 15 years for bribery, five years and six years for separate cases of embezzlement, and two-and-a-half years for breach of public trust, the indictment said.
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