Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday afternoon walked out of the Taipei District Court after posting bail, released from detention for the second time since his indictment, although he is required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Ko’s defense team and family members posted bail of NT$70 million (US$2.14 million), up from NT$30 million on Friday, following his indictment for allegedly receiving bribes, embezzlement and making illicit financial gains from the Core Pacific City Co (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project.
Core Pacific Group (威京集團) chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) was released after posting bail of NT$100 million yesterday, up from NT$40 million on Friday.
Photo: CNA
The other two defendants, Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) and Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), finance chief of Ko’s presidential election campaign, were also released on bail of NT$30 million and NT$20 million respectively.
Ko was accompanied by his wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), and TPP legislators when exiting the court and they headed to a waiting car, which took them to Ko’s Taipei residence.
Ko was wearing an electronic monitoring device above his right ankle which would monitor his movements and prevent him from trying to flee the country.
The quartet had been held in judicial detention and were among 11 suspects indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday last week.
As well as the electronic monitoring devices, Ko, Sheen, Ying and Lee were also each assigned a phone and are required to take photographs between 8pm and 10pm every night, and transmit the photographs to a surveillance center.
Before their trials, the four are not permitted to go to airports, harbors or coastal areas.
The defense teams can file an appeal within 10 days on the requirements of having to wear the electronic monitoring device and taking photographs each night to verify their locations.
Within 30 minutes of arriving home, Ko and his wife left in a car headed for Zhubei City (竹北) to visit Ko’s father, who is bedridden and receiving medical treatment for cancer at National Taiwan University Hospital’s Hsinchu branch.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office later yesterday said that it would appeal the court’s latest decision to grant the four defendants bail.
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