Taipei: The Taipei District Court on Monday once more approved bail for former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei, maintaining their original bails of NT$70 million (US$2.32 million) and NT$30 million, respectively.
According to Focus Taiwan, this decision came after the Taiwan High Court, on Friday, overturned a previous district court order that had granted bail to Ko and Ying with conditions including wearing an electronic tracking device and remaining within Taiwan. The conditions also prohibited them from contacting, harassing, threatening, or seeking information from other defendants or witnesses in the ongoing case.
Ko had been held incommunicado since September 2024 until his release on NT$70 million bail on September 8. He asserts his innocence, claiming the corruption charges are politically motivated. Ying, who is also implicated in the case, was released on NT$30 million bail on September 5.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office contested the bail decisions on September 9, highlighting that key witnesses had yet to complete their testimonies and alleging that Ko had contacted witnesses Chen Chih-han and Chen You-cheng following his bail release on September 8. The High Court found merit in the prosecutors' appeal, annulled the previous bail order, and sent the case back for reassessment.
Ko and Ying are undergoing trial for corruption and related charges in the "Core Pacific City case." Ko is potentially facing a sentence of 28.5 years for allegedly accepting NT$17.1 million in bribes linked to a property development project during his mayoralty and for embezzling political donations during his 2024 presidential campaign as head of the Taiwan People's Party.