Lawyer and former Taipei prosecutor Ko Chin-chu (柯金柱) was released on bail yesterday after being detained on suspicion of involvement in a case in which a man served time in jail on behalf of a criminal.
"Former prosecutor Ko is the attorney of Chen San-lung (
"Ko has been charged with concealment of an offender and destruction of evidence. Prosecutors ordered that he be released on NT$300,000 bail," Lin said.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen San-lung, a owner of a well-known record company, was sentenced to 18 months' jail by the Taiwan High Court in September 2003 for fraud offenses.
Prosecutors said Chen then escaped and was placed on a most-wanted list.
They alleged that last November, Chen paid Chung to report to Taoyuan Prosecutors' Office and impersonate him. Chung was duly jailed and served nine months in prison.
Prosecutors said that because Chen had been accused of pirating recordings by the late pop superstar Teresa Teng (
The court then asked the Taipei Prosecutors' Office to investigate the matter.
Prosecutors said that Ko had represented the fake Chen during the trial, and therefore knew about the switch.
Prosecutors on Tuesday raided Ko's office, residence and his girlfriend's residence, where they seized documents.
Ko yesterday told reporters he knew nothing about the switch and that he was innocent.
Ko quit his job as a prosecutor and became a lawyer last year.
Ministry of Justice officials yesterday said Taoyuan prosecutors and officials at the Taoyuan Prison should take responsibility for the scandal because they should have carefully checked Chung's identity before detaining him.
Chen was also arrested and detained on Tuesday.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS