The Taipei District Court ruled yesterday that the detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be extended for two months from Wednesday next week.
There is still a risk that Ko could flee and collude with others to destroy evidence, hence the decision to extend his detention, the court said.
It also ordered that three other suspects — Core Pacific Group founder Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), Ko’s former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) — remain detained and held incommunicado for another two months, citing the same reasons.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Ko has been indicted over alleged bribery, embezzlement and breach of public trust dating to his second term as mayor from 2018 to 2022 and during his campaign for last year’s presidential election as the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate.
Ko last week told the court during the first trial that he was wrongfully accused, with prosecutors alleging that he accepted bribes from Sheen to give Core Pacific Group an unusually high floor area ratio for the Core Pacific City redevelopment project in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山).
Ko is also being accused of having used more than NT$60 million (US$1.81 million) in political donations from Muko Public Relations Marketing Co for personal gain.
Ko said he had never closely examined the company’s financial records, believing that the donations were solely from supporters.
He had no intention of embezzling money, he said.
The court also heard opinions on whether Ko’s continued detention was necessary.
TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that the court’s decision was “unacceptable.”
Taipei prosecutors did not provide any evidence to suggest that Ko might flee or collude with witnesses, but the court still extended his detention, Huang said, adding that the decision further tarnished the credibility of Taiwan’s judicial system.
Ko’s lawyers would file an appeal to seek justice, he said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS