TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail at 3 a.m. on Monday (Sept. 2) after being questioned for 69 hours, first by the Agency Against Corruption (AAC), then the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.
Prosecutors initiated a search and interview operation on Aug. 30, targeting Ko and former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over alleged violations of the "Anti-Corruption Act" (貪污治罪條例) related to the Core Pacific City (京華城) development project.
They accused both former officials of accepting bribes and profiting from their positions and sought their detention. However, the court found insufficient evidence to substantiate significant criminal suspicion against Ko in the ongoing corruption investigation.
While Ko has been released, Pong remains in detention.
The Taipei District Prosecutor's Office plans to file an appeal later that day, following the Taipei District Court's decision to release the former Taipei mayor without bail.
A key issue in the case centered around the Sept. 9, 2021, decision by the Taipei Urban Planning Commission (TUPC, 北市都委會) to grant a 20% floor area bonus to the Core Pacific City project, raising the total floor area ratio from 560% to 672%.
The legality of this decision, announced on Nov. 11, 2021, and the subsequent building permit issued on Oct. 18, 2022, remains in question.
The judge noted that Ko did not attend the committee meeting and lacked relevant expertise. Ko argued that he relied on the committee's professional judgment and Peng's expert opinion, which the court found reasonable.
The prosecutor's office is likely to challenge this ruling, aiming to overturn the court's decision and pursue further legal actions.