High Court revokes lower court's bail ruling for TPP leader Ko Wen-je

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Sunday morning rescinded the Taiwan District Court's Friday ruling that ordered Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and three others to be released on bail following their indictments for corruption charges on Thursday.

The high court's decision, which came after the Taipei District Prosecutors Office filed an appeal against the district court's ruling, means that the lower court must reconsider its earlier decision.

As a result, a new ruling as to whether four suspects in the case should be detained, released on bail, or released without bail is scheduled to take place at the Taipei District Court on Sunday afternoon at the earliest.

The high court's decision marks another dramatic twist in the anti-corruption saga that has rocked Taiwan's political scene, with TPP supporters and politicians claiming that their leader has been "persecuted" by the prosecutors' investigation.

Ko, who won 26 percent of the presidential vote in January's election, was detained incommunicado according to the law on Sept. 5.

The day after prosecutors released their indictment on Thursday, the Taipei District Court had ruled that Ko be released on bail of NT$30 million (US$917,431) and barred from changing his residence or going abroad, after the prosecutors' request for him to be detained was rejected.

The court also rejected prosecutors' requests to detain other suspects in the case, with Former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) released on bails of NT$5 million and NT$15 million.

Meanwhile, founder and chairman of the real estate conglomerate Core Pacific Group, Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), was also released on bail of NT$40 million while Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), finance chief of Ko's 2024 election campaign office, was released on bail of NT$10 million.

Sunday's ruling means that Ko, Ying, Sheen, and Lee could be detained again following their release on Friday from investigative detention that lasted for up to four months for each suspect.

Prosecutors did not appeal Pong's bail release. In their indictment on Thursday, they said that Pong had admitted guilt and was cooperating with the investigation.

Ko, Ying, Sheen, Lee, Pong, and six others were indicted on Thursday for crimes that allegedly occurred during Ko's second term as Taipei mayor 2018-2022 and around the time of Taiwan's 2024 presidential election.

Ko faces a total sentence of 28.5 years, including 15 years for bribery, 5 years and 6 years for separate cases of embezzlement, and 2.5 years for breach of public trust, according to the indictment.