The High Court has revoked former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) bail ruling a second time this Wednesday night. The Taipei District Court will hold a new detention hearing this Thursday night.
Four people involved in the Core Pacific City scandal, including Ko, were granted bail on Sunday under the stipulation that electronic ankle monitors be worn. After posting a total of NT$70 million (USD$2.1 million) in bail, Ko was released a second time. However, The Taipei District Prosecutors Office (TDPO) submitted an appeal to the Taipei District Court, maintaining that the defendants need to be detained to prevent co-defendant and witness collusion.
The TDPO emphasized the key role that Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), Ko’s personal secretary and confidant, played in this case, and highlighted how being at large in Australia could jeopardize the case as the defendants could still collude through software or third parties.
The High Court agreed that bail amounts and electronic ankle monitors would not stop Ko, his co-defendants, and other witnesses from colluding with each other, citing several instances of tampering by Ko and the other defendants, and ultimately decided to rescind the bail ruling.
This comes after Ko resigned as chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Wednesday in light of the allegations.
The four defendants were called to report at the Taipei District Court at 11 a.m. on Thursday and stand by in the waiting room until around 6 p.m. when the detention court reopens.