Taipei court extends detention of Ko Wen-je for another 2 months

Taipei, March 28 (CNA) The Taipei District Court ruled on Friday that the detention of former Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be extended for another two months starting April 2.

There is still a risk that Ko could flee and collude with others to destroy evidence, hence the decision to extend his detention, the Taipei court explained.

It also ordered that 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) -- remain detained and held incommunicado for another two months, citing the same reason.

The former TPP chairman has been indicted for bribery, embezzlement and breach of public trust offenses dating back to his second term as mayor of Taipei from 2018 to 2022 and during his run in the 2024 presidential race.

In the first hearing at which Ko was questioned at Taipei District Court trial last week, Ko maintained he was being wrongfully accused, as prosecutors allege that the former Taipei mayor took bribes from Sheen to allow his Core Pacific Group to obtain an unusually high floor area ratio (FAR) for the Core Pacific City redevelopment project in Songshan District.

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The FAR refers to a building's floor space relative to the size of the lot it is built on, and permitting a higher FAR meant Sheen's company could build bigger structures than allowed by law and make more money on the development.

Ko is also being accused of having used the more than NT$60 million received in political donations through MuKo Public Relations Marketing Co., Ltd. for personal gain, which is illegal.

In response, the former TPP chairman said he had never closely examined the company's financial records, believing they consisted solely of donations from supporters. He emphasized that he had absolutely no intention of embezzling the money.

During the hearing, the court also heard opinions on whether Ko's continued detention was necessary.

Following the court's decision on Friday, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), the TPP's incumbent chairman and legislative caucus whip, said the continuing detention was "unacceptable."

While Taipei prosecutors did not provide any evidence to suggest that Ko could flee or collude with witnesses, the court still decided to extend his detention, Huang said, claiming that this decision further tarnishes the credibility of Taiwan's judicial system.

Huang said Ko's lawyers will promptly file an appeal to seek justice.