Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail early today, while Ko's deputy during his tenure as Taipei mayor was detained and held incommunicado after being questioned since Friday over alleged corruption involving a shopping center redevelopment project.
Prosecutors on Saturday filed a request with the Taipei District Court to officially detain Ko and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over the alleged scandal concerning the Core Pacific City project.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The court early today determined that the evidence provided by prosecutors was insufficient to justify the detention of Ko and ordered his release without bail.
However, it granted the request to detain Pong after concluding that he is a major suspect in the case and could potentially collude with coconspirators.
The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office plans to appeal the decision.
The court's decision marks a significant moment in the anti-corruption investigation that was launched in May, but escalated into a flurry of activity over the past five days.
On Wednesday last week, investigators from the Taipei prosecutors' office and the Agency Against Corruption (AAC) searched 48 locations and questioned six suspects, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) and Core Pacific Group (威京集團) chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), both of whom were held in detention and incommunicado late on Thursday night and early on Friday respectively.
On Friday, prosecutors raided the former mayor's home and office, and Pong's residence, as well as the TPP's headquarters, in search of evidence.
Ko was summoned by the AAC and questioned for about 12 hours before being sent to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office early on Saturday for further questioning.
Pong was also summoned for questioning that day.
Ko was arrested later on Saturday after he tried to leave the prosecutors' office.
Ko's lawyer filed a petition against the arrest order, saying his client was too tired to continue being questioned.
However, investigators told the court that the investigation would be hindered if Ko was allowed to go home instead of resting on the prosecutors' premises.
The Taipei District Court ruled that Ko's arrest was legal according to the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法).
Prosecutors alleged that Ko was involved in corrupt real-estate dealings during his second term as Taipei mayor in 2018 to 2022.
They believe Ying acted as a go-between between Sheen and high-ranking city officials including Pong, who was prohibited by prosecutors earlier this month from leaving the country or changing his residence.
Sheen allegedly gave Ying more than NT$47.40 million (US$1.48 million) as part of his company's effort to illegally lobby the Taipei City Government to increase the floor area ratio of Living Mall (京華城購物中心), also known as Core Pacific City in English, to raise the property's financial value.
According to the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), taking bribes that contravene official duties can be punishable by a prison sentence of no less than 10 years, while "directly or indirectly seeking unlawful gains for oneself or for others" can result in a prison sentence of no less than five years.
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