Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health.
The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months.
Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions.
Photo: Wu Jen-chieh, Taipei Times
Ko, charged with bribery, embezzlement and breach of public trust offenses dating back to his second term as Taipei mayor from 2018 to 2022 and during his run as the TPP nominee in last year’s presidential election, has been detained since September last year.
The Taipei District Court on Friday extended his detention for another two months starting on Wednesday.
Huang yesterday displayed a banner outside the Taipei Detention Center, where Ko is being held, and called for Ko to receive proper medical treatment.
Ko should enjoy the presumption of innocence and right to medical treatment as a defendant not convicted of a crime, Huang said.
“The family’s modest demand is for Ko to receive proper medical treatment,” he said, adding that Ko is entitled to be treated by a doctor he can trust.
The center said Ko has been treated by a doctor following the onset of his symptoms, which had improved as of Friday.
“We empathize with the family of the detainee, and a staff member will discuss the matter with the family at an appropriate time should the family have any lingering doubts,” it said.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
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