High Court revokes ruling releasing TPP leader Ko, orders new hearing

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Wednesday revoked a ruling to release Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) without bail as he is being investigated for corruption, sending the issue back to a lower court.

In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the Taiwan High Court said that based on its review of testimony and evidence in the case, Ko had "actively interfered" in the Core Pacific City redevelopment project as Taipei mayor, and did not, as he claimed, simply trust the judgment of the city's urban planning commission.

The High Court said the Taipei District Court had failed to conduct a "comprehensive evaluation of all the evidence" in its precharge detention hearing. On those grounds, it voided the lower court's Monday ruling to release Ko without bail and ordered it to hold a new hearing on the matter.

Following the announcement, the Taipei District Court said it had scheduled a hearing for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The TPP, meanwhile, called the decision "regrettable."

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office initiated an investigation into the redevelopment of Core Pacific City in May this year. The project involves building a new office complex named Core Pacific Plaza on the site of the old Core Pacific City shopping mall in Taipei's Songshan District.

Investigators searched 48 locations on Aug. 28 and searched Ko's residence and TPP headquarters on Aug. 30. Ko was arrested on Saturday after trying to leave the prosecutors' office following lengthy questioning.

Prosecutors allege that former Taipei Mayor Ko and former Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) violated the Anti-Corruption Act by receiving bribes and seeking personal gain for themselves and others through their official positions in the Taipei City Government.

The investigation centers on allegations that the Core Pacific Group's chairman paid bribes to city officials to secure an increase in the property's floor area ratio (the ratio of a building's total floor area to the size of the piece of land on which it is built), in order to raise its financial value.

Prosecutors asked the court on Sunday to formally detain both Ko and Pong and hold them incommunicado while they continued their investigation.

However, on Monday, the Taipei District Court ordered that Ko be released without bail while Pong be detained and held incommunicado.

Prosecutors appealed Ko's release to the Taiwan High Court, while Pong's lawyers also filed an appeal against his detention that has yet to be heard.

Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇), Ying's assistant Wu Shun-min (吳順民) and Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) are currently being held incommunicado in relation to the case.