The Taipei District Court yesterday opened its trial into a corruption case involving a Taipei development project during the tenure of then-Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and the use of political donations during Ko’s presidential campaign, with some defendants admitting guilt, while others maintained their innocence.
Former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) was the first defendant brought in, followed by former Taipei Urban Planning Commission executive secretary Shao Hsiu-pei (邵琇珮) and Ko’s presidential campaign finance manager, Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗).
Prosecutors last month indicted Ko on charges of corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust, alleging that he assisted Core Pacific Group (威京集團) and its subsidiary in gaining unlawful financial benefits of more than NT$12.105 billion (US$369.4 million).
Photo: CNA
Pong, Shao and Lee were among the 10 defendants alongside Ko indicted on breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), as well as embezzlement, bribery, forgery of documents and tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors also pressed charges against Ko, Lee and several other defendants for accounting fraud, embezzlement and personally profiting from political donations during last year’s presidential campaign in contravention of the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法) and other statutes.
Pong pled guilty, saying in his opening statement through his lawyer that he had “told investigators everything that I know, and admit to the charges against me. I will not retract these statements.”
His lawyer had some questions about the scope of the indictment and asked that the judges for more time to prepare for the defense, adding that Pong would not retract his testimony and had admitted to his involvement in the case.
Shao was quoted as already admitting to involvement, as her lawyers cited her cooperation and testimony during the investigation, and requested a reduced term and suspended sentence.
Prosecutors agreed with the statements by the defense and asked the court for more lenient terms for Pong and Shao, also citing that both had no prior criminal record, as well as provisions for defendants to receive reduced sentencing under the Witness Protection Act (證人保護法) for assisting prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Lee, who also served as director of the Taiwan Prestige and Solicitude Foundation, denied any wrongdoing.
Lee denied that the foundation and marketing firm Muko Public Relations (木可行銷公關), which was headed by his sister, Lee Wen-chuan (李文娟), were fronts for money laundering and illegal personal profiteering from political contributions by individuals and businesses for Ko’s presidential campaign.
The foundation was set up for Ko and the Taiwan People’s Party to promote their core values and party principles by engaging in charitable events, while the Muko Public Relations was a for-profit business, his defense said.
He received guidance from Ko, who told him that Muko would pay the wages of the campaign staff, and would manage the registration of health insurance and pension plans for them, Lee’s lawyers said.
Prosecutors have accused Lee of taking NT$2.1 million in bribes in the Core Pacific Mall redevelopment project, that he had misappropriated funds by using Ko’s image and likeness to sell campaign souvenirs, and had embezzled NT$8.27 million of donations to the foundation.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS