District court to reconsider Ko Wen-je's bail Monday

Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) The Taipei District Court will hold a hearing on Monday to reconsider its decision to grant bail to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), after the Taiwan High Court on Friday ordered a review.

Ko, former chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), was released Sept. 8 on NT$70 million (US$2.31 million) bail, on the conditions that he wear an electronic tracking device and remain in Taiwan, following a year in incommunicado detention.

Prosecutors have since sought Ko's continued detention until additional witnesses can be questioned in September and October.

As a result of the prosecutors' appeal, the high court on Friday instructed the lower court to reconsider its bail ruling.

● Prosecutors' appeal against Ko's release to be heard by district court

Witnesses still to be questioned include Huang Ching-mao (黃景茂), former director of Taipei's Department of Urban Development; Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), former Taipei deputy mayor and TPP lawmaker; Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), finance chief of Ko's 2024 election campaign; andWu Shun-min (吳順民), an assistant to Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇).

Ying, who has been indicted in connection with Ko's case, was released on NT$30 million bail on Sept. 5. The high court has also ordered a hearing on her release.

The high court criticized the lower court for issuing conflicting rulings within a relatively short time period and for failing to clearly define which witnesses Ko and Ying are barred from contacting.

The district court is scheduled to hear the detention requests at 10 a.m. Monday, with Ko and Ying required to report at 9 a.m.

In a statement, the TPP urged the court to uphold Ko's release, saying prosecutors have already questioned all critical witnesses over the past eight months and warning against undermining basic human rights.

Ko has maintained his innocence, arguing the charges are politically motivated. He was indicted in December 2024 on allegations of accepting NT$17.1 million in bribes during his tenure as Taipei mayor and embezzling political donations during his 2024 presidential campaign. Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 28.5 years.

Ten other suspects, including Ying, Lee, former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) and business tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) have also been indicted.