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.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS