Ko released, ex-deputy mayor held incommunicado in corruption probe

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail early Monday, while Ko's deputy during his tenure as Taipei mayor was detained and held incommunicado after being questioned since Friday over alleged corruption involving a shopping center re-development project.

Prosecutors on Saturday filed a request with the Taipei District Court to officially detain Ko and former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over the alleged scandal concerning the Core Pacific City project.

The court on Monday determined that the evidence provided by the prosecutors was insufficient to justify the detention of Ko and ordered his release without bail.

However, it granted the request to detain Pong after concluding that he is a major suspect in the case and could potentially collude with co-conspirators.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office plans to appeal the decision.

The court's decision on Monday marks a significant moment in the anti-corruption investigation that was launched in May but escalated into a flurry of activity over the past five days.

On Wednesday, investigators from the Taipei Prosecutors Office and the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) searched 48 locations and questioned six suspects including Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) and Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), both of whom were held in detention and incommunicado late Thursday night and early Friday.

On Friday, prosecutors raided the former mayor's home and office, and Pong's residence, as well as the TPP's headquarters, in search of evidence. Ko was summoned by the AAC and questioned for about 12 hours before being sent to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office early Saturday for further questioning. Pong was also summoned for questioning that day.

Ko was arrested later on Saturday after he tried to leave the prosecutors office.

Ko's lawyer filed a petition against the arrest order, saying his client was too tired to continue being questioned. However, investigators told the court that the investigation would be hindered if Ko was allowed to go home instead of resting on the prosecutors' premises.

The Taipei District Court ruled that Ko's arrest was legal according to the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Prosecutors alleged that Ko was involved in corrupt real-estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor in 2018 to 2022. They believe Ying acted as a go-between between Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen and high-ranking city officials including Pong, who was prohibited by prosecutors earlier this month from leaving the country or changing his residence.

Sheen allegedly gave Ying more than NT$47.40 million (US$1.48 million) as part of his company's effort to illegally lobby the Taipei City government to increase the floor area ratio (FAR) of Living Mall (京華城購物中心), also known as Core Pacific City in English, to raise the property's financial value.

According to the Anti-Corruption Act, taking bribes that violate official duties can be punishable by a prison sentence of no less than 10 years, while "directly or indirectly seeking unlawful gains for oneself or for others" can result in a prison sentence of no less than five years.

A conviction under the Act would be a devastating setback for the TPP, as Ko was its candidate in the presidential election in January, receiving 26 percent of the vote.

Previously a practicing doctor, Ko commands an especially loyal support base of mostly young voters attracted to what they view as his refreshingly straight-talking manner.

Ko established the TPP, now the third-largest political party in Taiwan, in August 2019 after coming to prominence during the Sunflower Student Movement and being elected mayor of Taipei in 2014.

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