Taipei: The Taiwan High Court on Friday ordered a lower court to hear an appeal from prosecutors against the decision to grant bail to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. After a year in incommunicado detention, Ko was released on Monday on bail of NT$70 million (US$2.31 million) on the condition that he wear an electronic tracking device and not leave Taiwan.
According to Focus Taiwan, on Tuesday, prosecutors filed an appeal against Ko’s release, requesting that he be detained until they finish questioning several witnesses in October. The witnesses to be questioned include Huang Ching-mao, former director of the Taipei Department of Urban Development; Huang Shan-shan, former Taipei deputy mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmaker; and Wu Shun-min, assistant to Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei. Ying was released on bail of NT$30 million, and prosecutors have also filed an appeal against her release.
Ko, also a former TPP chairman, had been detained incommunicado since Sept. 5, 2024, and was indicted in December that year on charges related to accepting bribes of NT$17.1 million in a property development deal 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 for Ko, who has maintained his innocence and argued that the charges are politically motivated.
