TPP's ex-chair Ko Wen-je appeals against newest detention

Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) Former Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who was indicted for corruption last month, has appealed his detention imposed after a third bail hearing last week, the Taipei District Court confirmed Friday.

The appeal, which was submitted by Ko's lawyer earlier in the day, will be delivered to the Taiwan High Court for a review, the court said without elaborating.

According to various sources, Ko argued that his detention was unjustified, as the initial investigations prior to his indictment had been completed.

He also said whether Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), who served as his close aide, returned to Taiwan or not would not affect his subsequent trial.

In October last year, Taipei prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Hsu, who left Taiwan for Japan on Aug. 29 and has not returned. She was designated a "suspected defendant" by prosecutors on Oct. 22 in Ko's case.

The former TPP chair, who served as Taipei mayor from 2014 to 2022 and was the TPP's presidential candidate in the 2024 election, appealed to the court for a fair opportunity to defend himself and requested to be granted bail.

Ko, 65, was indicted on Dec. 26 for bribery and other corruption charges in connection with real estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor, which began in 2018.

He was also charged with embezzling political donations to the TPP during the 2024 presidential election.

After being held incommunicado for nearly four months during the investigation into the allegations against him, Ko was released on bail of NT$30 million (US$917,400) on Dec. 27 last year, as ordered by the Taipei District Court.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office, however, appealed the decision and his bail was subsequently revoked on Dec. 29 by the High Court.

The Taipei District Court, in Ko's second post-indictment detention hearing on Dec. 30, ordered that he be released on bail of NT$70 million and electronically tagged for monitoring purposes.

After prosecutors appealed a second time, the High Court once again revoked the lower court's decision, sending the case back to the district court, which reversed its earlier decision and ordered him detained.

According to the Taipei court, 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) -- who are currently being held incommunicado, have also filed appeals against their detention.