The Taipei District Court yesterday approved former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) petition to lift incommunicado restrictions for certain family members until March 10, the day of his father’s funeral.
Ko filed the petition through his attorney after his father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away on Monday last week.
The court made the decision at the suggestion of the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, although Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), Ko Wen-je’s wife, had expressed hope for a longer period extended to April 2, citing the need to handle matters after the funeral.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Chen yesterday thanked the court for being considerate, but said that prosecutors’ insistence on lifting Ko Wen-je’s incommunicado restrictions only until March 10 was unacceptable.
“How is it that a person’s life ends after his funeral? The prosecutors are being unreasonable,” she said.
Chen also cited Ko Wen-je as saying that they would respect the court’s final decision.
Whether the former Taipei mayor could make a home visit is to be decided by the Taipei Detention Center, prosecutors said.
Ko Wen-je, Core Pacific Group (威京集團) chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and nine other people were indicted by prosecutors on Dec. 26 last year for their alleged involvement in a political donation embezzlement case and a corruption case related to the Core Pacific City (京華城) shopping mall.
They were charged with bribery, embezzlement, unjust enrichment and breach of public trust under the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), with Ko Wen-je facing a total jail sentence of up to 28 years and six months.
The former Taiwan People’s Party chairman was detained and held incommunicado after his bail was granted and overturned twice, and his appeal against the detention was rejected by the High Court.
With incommunicado restrictions halted until March 10, he could engage in visits and correspondence with his close family, including his wife, mother and siblings.
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