High court rejects Ko Wen-je's request for case to be broadcast live

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Friday rejected an appeal by former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to have the upcoming oral arguments and subsequent ruling in his court case broadcast live.

Ko, the founder and former chair of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), was among 11 individuals indicted in December 2024 in a corruption case in which Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) is alleged to have bribed Ko in exchange for favorable treatment during his tenure as mayor.

The Taipei District Court began a two-day evidence presentation on Thursday, during which prosecutors and defense attorneys reviewed more than 200 volumes of evidence, including witness testimonies, physical exhibits and documents.

All 11 defendants, including Ko, and their defense lawyers were present for both days of the evidence presentation. Oral arguments are scheduled to begin on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ko had earlier requested that the upcoming oral arguments and subsequent ruling be broadcast live. However, on Dec. 2, the Taipei District Court said that only a delayed broadcast of the ruling would be made public within five days of its announcement, a decision that applies to Ko and other defendants as well.

Ko later appealed that decision to the High Court.

Just before Thursday's evidence presentation, Ko said he had hoped a live broadcast would allow him to explain his position directly to the public.

He added that he had a clear conscience and believed live coverage would better show the public what really happened.

On Friday, the High Court said that the district court's decision had been carried out appropriately in accordance with Article 12 of the Regulations Governing the Public Broadcasting of Court Audio and Video Recordings (法庭錄音錄影公開播送實施辦法).

Ko faces a potential sentence of 28.5 years for allegedly accepting bribes of NT$17.1 million (US$548,261) 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.