Taipei: The Taipei District Court will hold a hearing on Monday to reconsider its decision to grant bail to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je after the Taiwan High Court on Friday ordered a review. Ko, the former chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), was released on September 8 on NT$70 million (US$2.31 million) bail, with the conditions that he wear an electronic tracking device and remain in Taiwan, following a year in incommunicado detention.
According to Focus Taiwan, prosecutors have since sought Ko's continued detention until additional witnesses can be questioned in September and October. As a result of the prosecutors' appeal, the high court instructed the lower court to reconsider its bail ruling. Witnesses still to be questioned include Huang Ching-mao, former director of Taipei's Department of Urban Development; Huang Shan-sha, former Taipei deputy mayor and TPP lawmaker; Lee Wen-tsung, finance chief of Ko's 2024 election campaign; and Wu Shun-min, an assistant to Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei.
Ying, who has been indicted in connection with Ko's case, was released on NT$30 million bail on September 5. The high court has also ordered a hearing on her release, criticizing the lower court for issuing conflicting rulings within a relatively short time period and for failing to clearly define which witnesses Ko and Ying are barred from contacting.
The district court is scheduled to hear the detention requests at 10 a.m. Monday, with Ko and Ying required to report at 9 a.m. In a statement, the TPP urged the court to uphold Ko's release, stating that prosecutors have already questioned all critical witnesses over the past eight months and warning against undermining basic human rights.
Ko has maintained his innocence, arguing the charges are politically motivated. He was indicted in December 2024 on allegations of accepting NT$17.1 million in bribes during his tenure as Taipei mayor and embezzling political donations during his 2024 presidential campaign. Prosecutors are seeking a total sentence of 28.5 years. Ten other suspects, including Ying, Lee, former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng, and business tycoon Sheen Ching-jing, have also been indicted.