Prosecutors drop bid to overturn ex-Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je's bail

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) The Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday said it would not appeal the granting of bail to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇).

The two were granted bail on conditions that they wear electronic tracking devices, remain in Taiwan, and refrain from contacting, harassing, threatening, or asking for information from other defendants or witnesses in their case.

In a news statement, prosecutors said they respected the court ruling from the stance of "advancing the case," and will focus on legal claims and debates at the core of the trial.

The ruling, which was handed down on Sept. 15, followed a Taiwan High Court decision to overturn an earlier district court ruling that granted bail to Ko and Ying.

Ko and Ying had been held incommunicado since September and August 2024, respectively, before being released on bail -- NT$70 million (US$2.31 million) for Ko on Sept. 8, 2025, and NT$30 million for Ying on Sept. 5, 2025.

Prosecutors appealed the bail orders on Sept. 9, arguing that key witnesses had not yet given their testimonies and that Ko had contacted witnesses Chen Chih-han (陳智菡) and Chen You-cheng (陳宥丞) after posting bail, which violated the bail conditions.

In response, the High Court revoked the bail and returned the case to the district court for a new decision.

In the Wednesday statement, prosecutors said that the High Court's revocation indicated that their appeal was justified, refuting claims from "a certain party" that they were "detaining for confession" and wanted to "detain Ko until his death."

They noted that the district court deemed Ko and Ying suspected of corruption and posed risks of collusion or tampering with evidence in all detention and bail rulings, including the most recent one.

Expressing doubts about whether bail conditions can be duly implemented, the prosecution said that they will continue to monitor the defendant for any violations and request the court to reconsider the necessity for detention if they find any evidence of transgression.

Ko, who founded and chaired the Taiwan People's Party, as well as Ying, were among 11 individuals indicted in December 2024 in connection with a corruption case in which Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) is alleged to have bribed Ko for favorable treatment during the latter's tenure as mayor.

Ko faces a potential sentence of 28.5 years for allegedly accepting bribes of NT$17.1 million in a property development deal during his tenure as Taipei mayor and embezzling political donations during his 2024 presidential campaign as leader of the TPP.