The Taipei District Court today ordered the release of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on NT$70 million (US$2.89 million) bail and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) on NT$30 million bail.
Ko and Ying would be placed under monitoring, barred from leaving their residences and prohibited from contacting codefendants or witnesses.
Ko and Ying are the only two defendants in the Core Pacific City corruption case still in detention, which was set to end on Oct. 1.
Photo: Taipei Times
The court held a hearing yesterday to decide whether their detention should be extended.
Presiding judge Chiang Chun-yen (江俊彥) said that since witness Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) finished his testimony early, the extra time was used to question Ko and Ying about whether their detention should be extended.
The court today first approved Ying to be released on bail, followed by Ko.
Both are confined to their registered residences, banned from overseas travel for eight months, prohibited from contacting, harassing, intimidating or seeking case-related information from codefendants or witnesses, and would be monitored through ankle bracelets equipped with a GPS tracking system.
If Ko and Ying are able to post bail and have ankle bracelets installed, they could be released as early as today.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in a statement today thanked the court for “returning the right to receive a fair trial” to Ko.
The TPP said it is to seek judicial justice alongside Ko and all citizens after a formal ruling is received and all the relevant procedures are done.
NT$70 million is a huge amount for a doctor’s family, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) wrote on Facebook.
Huang said he worries that Ko would not accept it, as the amount is unreasonable.
However, getting Ko out is the most important thing, he said, describing the case as “malicious political persecution.”
TPP secretary-general Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修) also said whether Ko would agree to be released on bail is a challenge faced by the party.
“It is not up to you,” is what he would say to Ko, Chou said.
The party and its lawyers are working on the bail money and it takes time, he said.
Asked if he is worried that the party would not know who to listen to after Ko is released, he said there would be no problem.
There would be no re-election and the party would follow its rules, he said.
The bail conditions are disproportionate and “humiliating” for a former mayor, former Taipei mayor and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said he hopes the trial would be based on evidence and professional legal judgement.
The Democratic Progressive Party respects judicial investigations, party spokesperson Han Ying (韓瑩) said.
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