Prosecutors yesterday questioned Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), while members of the other two main political parties called on Ko, a former Taipei mayor, to come clean about the ongoing corruption probe.
Ko was taken by bailiffs to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, where he was questioned for two-and-a-half hours in the morning, returning at about noon to the Taipei Detention Center in New Taipei City, where he has been held in pretrial detention since Sept. 5.
In the afternoon, prosecutors reportedly asked Pong about his role while working in Ko’s mayoral administration and about details of a Core Pacific City redevelopment project.
Photo: Chen Tsai-ling, Taipei Times
Prosecutors allege that Ko’s administration approved an increase to 840 percent from 560 percent of the floor area ratio of the project, which would have benefitted Core Pacific Group to the tune of tens of billions of New Taiwan dollars.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) said that Ko and Pong should tell the truth about alleged flows of cash between the former city administration and Core Pacific Group.
Prosecutors have deciphered a list of names and figures on a USB drive seized from Ko during a search of his residence in late August, Chien said, citing unnamed sources.
Entries of “500” and “1500” on the device referred to sums of NT$5 million (US$155,400) and NT$15 million that were allegedly transferred from Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) to Ko as “political donations” to the TPP, Chien said, adding that the entries were dated soon after Ko’s administration approved the floor area ratio change, as well as an earlier green light in 2022 for construction to start.
“The flow of money has been mapped by prosecutors, which is what Ko and TPP officials were afraid of,” she said. “They can no longer deny their involvement and should give a clear accounting.”
“Where is the money? Is it stashed? What else is hidden from the public” she asked.
Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) called on Ko to cooperate with prosecutors.
“Ko is TPP chairman and a former Taipei mayor, so he has an obligation to explain what took place and a duty to work with prosecutors,” Yu said.
Yesterday was the fifth time that Ko had been questioned since the probe began in the final week of August and the seventh for Pong.
In a previous session two weeks ago, Ko refused to be questioned.
“It is not right for Ko to refuse to cooperate and not provide information,” Yu said.
“If he believes he is innocent, then he could appeal to be released from the pretrial detention, but he did not. Instead, he has resisted and pushed TPP members to claim the probe is political persecution,” Yu added.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is to make it compulsory for all fishing vessels with gross tonnage under 20 tonnes to install an automatic identification system (AIS) by next year to prevent Chinese speedboat incursions. CGA Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said his agency has been in talks with the Maritime Port Bureau and the Fisheries Agency to demand that all Taiwanese fishing vessels to install an AIS before the end of next year. All Taiwanese offshore fishing vessels with gross tonnage of 20 tonnes or higher have already installed an AIS, an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is