Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) maintained his innocence in his first hearing for alleged bribery and embezzlement at the Taipei District Court yesterday, saying “I did not seek illicit gains, engage in corruption or misappropriate public interests.”
The hearing ran from 5pm to 11pm yesterday, with several breaks, after which Ko was subsequently remanded to the Taipei Detention Center.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office concluded investigations into the Core Pacific City corruption case on Dec. 26 last year, indicting Ko and several others for crimes including bribery, embezzlement and breach of public trust.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Prosecutors are seeking a total prison sentence of 28.5 years for Ko.
Ko illegally helped the real estate conglomerate Core Pacific Group obtain its desired floor area ratio, despite knowing that the approval should not have been granted, Prosecutor Liao Yen-chun (廖彥鈞) said.
Ko allegedly accepted two bribes totaling NT$17.1 million (US$520,000) in exchange for helping Core Pacific Group, which meant that as Taipei mayor he betrayed the public trust and aligned instead with corporate interests, Liao said.
Ko maintained his innocence, accusing the Democratic Progressive Party, Taipei District Court and media outlets of collaborating to smear his image.
Liao allegedly threatened Ko during the interrogation, saying that inappropriate videos found on a confiscated USB flash drive would be publicly released if he did not plead guilty, Ko said.
Ko reviewed previous meeting records and found that the Core Pacific City case was just one of many petitions and was not included in the city government’s tracking records, he said.
His comments on the case’s four official documents and petition never made it to the mayor’s office, he added.
The court adjourned twice during Ko’s defense because he insulted the prosecutor and cried while discussing his recently deceased father.
Prosecutors accused Ko of pressuring his co-defendants who pleaded guilty by alleging, without evidence, that they were subject to improper interrogations.
Prosecutors also accused Ko of “playing dumb” regarding names on files in a confiscated USB flash drive, which he expressed knowledge of during a previous interrogation but claimed ignorance of during the hearing.
Prosecutors recommended that Ko continue to be detained, at least until the cross-examination.
Ko said that he would not flee, and that there is no point in falsifying evidence as the information is limited.
Ko’s wife Peggy Chen (陳佩琪) and mother Ho Jui-ying (何瑞英) were seen leaving Bo-ai Road next to the court by car, but did not respond to media questions.
Around 100 Ko’s supporters, including Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), gathered outside the court to protest the prosecution until the early hours of the morning.
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