Detention of Ko Wen-je, 3 other defendants ordered to be extended

Taipei, May 27 (CNA) The Taipei District Court handed down a ruling Tuesday extending the detention of former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) by two more months starting June 2, with Ko facing corruption charges related to a real estate scandal dating back to his tenure as mayor.

The court also ordered that three other defendants in the case -- 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.

It is the third time the court has ordered the extended detention of the four after doing so in January and March, during the ongoing trial of the high-profile Core Pacific City development case.

On Jan. 2 the court determined that the four defendants were suspected of committing serious crimes, posed a flight risk and could also engage in evidence tampering and collusion.

After questioning the four individuals at a detention extension hearing, the court concluded on Tuesday that the reasons for their detention still exist. Therefore, it ordered their detention extended an additional two months.

In response, the opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), founded by Ko, condemned the court’s decision as “completely unacceptable,” arguing that there is no concrete evidence to justify his continued detention.

In a statement, the TPP criticized the court ruling as being filled with “hollow and vague adjectives.” It accused the judges of ignoring the fact that many records—which the TPP claimed were obtained through improper interrogations by prosecutors—were thoroughly discredited during cross-examination.

The TPP said the decision to extend Ko’s detention was a serious violation of his human rights.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office wrapped up its investigation into the Core Pacific City case, as well as a political donations case involving Ko, on Dec. 26, last year. It indicted the 65-year-old Ko, Sheen, Lee and Ying, among 11 individuals, on charges including bribery, embezzlement and breach of public trust.

The prosecution is seeking a combined prison sentence of 28 years and 6 months for Ko, the founder and former chairman of the TPP.

In the first pre-trial hearing at which Ko was questioned at Taipei District Court in March, Ko maintained he was being wrongfully accused, as prosecutors allege that he 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.

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 previously allowed by law and make more money on the development.

Ko is also being accused of having used more than NT$60 million (US$2 million) received in political donations through MuKo Public Relations Marketing Co., Ltd. for personal use, which is illegal.