The High Court yesterday ordered a lower court to hear an appeal against the decision to grant bail to former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
After being held incommunicado for a year, Ko was released on Monday on bail of NT$70 million (US$2.31 million) on the condition that he wear an electronic tracking device and not leave Taiwan.
On Tuesday, prosecutors filed an appeal against Ko’s release, requesting that he be detained until they finish questioning witnesses next month.
Photo: CNA
The witnesses to be questioned include former Taipei Department of Urban Development director Huang Ching-mao (黃景茂), former Taipei deputy mayor and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) and Wu Shun-min (吳順民), Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei’s (應曉薇) assistant.
Ying was released on bail of NT$30 million, which prosecutors have also filed an appeal against.
The high court criticized the lower court for issuing conflicting rulings within a relatively short time period and for failing to clearly define which witnesses Ko and Ying are barred from contacting.
The district court is scheduled to hear the detention requests at 10 am on Monday, with Ko and Ying required to report at 9 am.
In a statement, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) urged the court to uphold Ko's release, saying prosecutors have already questioned all critical witnesses over the past eight months and warning against undermining basic human rights.
Ko, former TPP chairman, was indicted in December last year for allgedly accepting bribes of NT$17.1 million in a property development deal during his tenure as Taipei mayor and embezzling political donations during his presidential campaign last year.
Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 28.5 years for Ko, who has maintained his innocence and said that the charges are politically motivated.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS