Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) this morning posted bail of NT$70 million (US$2.89 million) and is to be released later this afternoon after a year in detention in relation to the Core Pacific City corruption case.
The Taipei District Court granted Ko’s release on Friday last week, but he said he needed two days to consider.
This morning, his team of lawyers said they received his personal approval to post bail during a meeting at the Taipei Detention Center.
Photo: Hsu Sheng-lun, Taipei Times
Ko felt the bail was extremely high and was unwilling to borrow money, but after much discussion and careful consideration, decided at about 9:40am to post bail, lawyer Cheng Shen-yuan (鄭深元) said.
After speaking to reporters, the legal team left for the Taipei District Court to meet with Ko's wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), and post bail.
Taiwan People's Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) posted on Facebook at about 9:40am saying that Ko had agreed to post bail and they would prepare to pick him up.
The court confirmed at 10:50am that it had received Ko’s bail, and a prison van left at 11am to pick Ko up from the detention center.
Ko is estimated to leave the detention center at about 1:30pm and arrive at the court at 2pm.
It was reported this morning that Ko would go straight to his hometown in Hsinchu to visit his mother.
The court said that although Ko is restricted to living in his Taipei residence for eight months, it would not restrict his freedom of movement.
However, Ko is required to upload a selfie of himself at his Taipei residence every evening between 8pm and 10pm using a mobile phone assigned by the court, it said.
The court’s ruling restricts Ko from traveling abroad or by sea for eight months, and requires him to be electronically monitored through an ankle bracelet and court-assigned mobile phone.
The ruling also prohibits him from contacting, harassing or intimidating any codefendants or witnesses in the case.
Ko was the last defendant to be released from detention in the Core Pacific City case, after Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) posted NT$30 million bail on Friday last week.
In its ruling, the court said that the risk of Ko and Ying destroying evidence or colluding with others was significantly reduced after the completion of intensive hearings and cross-examinations, leaving no reason to further detain the defendants.
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