Court raises bail for TPP leader Ko Wen-je in corruption case

Taipei, Dec. 30 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), indicted on corruption charges Thursday, is allowed to remain free on bail after the Taipei District Court on Sunday rejected prosecutors' calls to revoke his bail but more than doubled the required amount.

After a detention hearing that stretched from 3 p.m. to midnight, the district court increased Ko's bail to NT$70 million (US$2.1 million) from the original NT$30 million, and ordered him to wear an electronic tag during his release.

If Ko fails to post bail by 5 p.m. Monday, he will be detained, according to the court.

In the ruling, Judge Chiang Chun-yen (江俊彥) noted that prosecutors believe Ko and the other suspects have the potential to influence witnesses or co-defendants and may attempt to collude with each other if released.

However, Chiang argued that if this reasoning were applied broadly, all high-ranking officials or executives in similar cases would need to be detained. Therefore, the court decided that detention is unnecessary as long as the defendants avoid contact with witnesses and co-defendants, he said.

The district court's decision came just hours after the Taiwan High Court revoked a Friday ruling by the lower court, which had granted Ko release on NT$30 million bail while barring him from changing his residence or traveling abroad.

The high court's decision on Sunday morning was made after prosecutors appealed the lower court's bail ruling, claiming that Ko and the others could attempt to evade or subvert justice if allowed to reside at home before their trial begins.

Siding with the prosecutors, the high court said that the district court had insufficiently explained how after being granted bail the suspects could be prevented from fleeing.

In its latest ruling Sunday night, the district court also increased bail amounts for three other suspects: real estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇).

Their bail amounts were raised from NT$40 million, NT$10 million, and NT$15 million to NT$100 million, NT$20 million, and NT$30 million, respectively. Like Ko, all three were ordered to wear electronic tags.

Prosecutors are investigating alleged criminal activity that occurred during Ko's second term as Taipei mayor in 2018-2022 and around the time of Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, when Ko was a presidential candidate for the TPP.

Prosecutors indicted Ko and 10 other suspects on Thursday, and are seeking a 28.5-year sentence for the former Taipei mayor for alleged bribery, embezzlement and breach of trust offenses. Prosecutors accused Ko of accepting bribes related to a real estate development and embezzling political donations to the TPP.

The anti-corruption probes have rocked Taiwan's political scene, with TPP supporters and politicians claiming that their leader has been "politically persecuted" by prosecutors at the behest of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

In response to the district court's latest ruling on Sunday, the TPP stressed that Ko has no motive to flee and that the hefty bail amount only adds to his financial burden.

The TPP also accused prosecutors of violating human rights, fabricating charges and conducting "politically motivated investigations." The TPP argued that prosecutors seek not only to imprison Ko but also to weaken the "third force" in Taiwanese politics and eliminate political opposition.