Taipei Court Extends Travel Ban, Electronic Monitoring for Ko Wen-je, Ying Hsiao-wei by 8 Months

(CNA reporter Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei, May 20) In the Core Pacific City and political donation cases, the Taipei District Court, in a first-instance trial, sentenced former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je to 17 years in prison and Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei to 15 years and 6 months for corruption and other offenses. The court recently issued another ruling, extending their travel restrictions and subjecting them to electronic monitoring for 8 months, starting from the 15th. The ruling can be appealed. The Taipei District Court's ruling stated that the original period of restrictions on leaving the country, going to sea, and electronic monitoring for Ko Wen-je and Ying Hsiao-wei was set to expire on May 14. Considering that the two were sentenced to 17 years and 15 years and 6 months, respectively, for violating the Anti-Corruption Act, the court determined that the risk of them fleeing to evade potential future punishment and confiscation has now increased. Furthermore, as both individuals have the financial resources and ability to live abroad, there are substantial reasons to believe they pose a flight risk. According to the ruling, after weighing the effective exercise of the state's criminal judicial power, social order, public interest, and the severity of the crimes and sentences involved in this case, the court found substantial reason to believe both individuals are a flight risk. It deemed it necessary to extend their restrictions on leaving the country and sea and to continue appropriate electronic monitoring, thus making the ruling on the 12th. The Taipei District Court announced its verdict on March 26 this year for four major cases, including the Core Pacific City and Ko Wen-je's political donation cases. Of the 11 defendants, 9 were found guilty. Among them, Ko Wen-je was sentenced to 17 years and deprived of civil rights for 6 years, while Wei Chuan Group Chairman Shen Ching-ching was sentenced to 10 years. The court also ordered Ding Yueh Co. to forfeit over NT$12.1 billion. The court found that Ko Wen-je accepted a NT$2.1 million bribe in the Core Pacific City case, embezzled NT$6 million in political donations to the Taiwan People's Party, and, with co-defendants Li Wen-tsung and Li Wen-chuan, embezzled a total of NT$61,346,790 from the 'Ko Wen-je and Wu Hsin-ying Presidential and Vice-Presidential Political Donation Account' under the name of Muke Company. He also allegedly misappropriated a total of NT$8,271,095 from the Chung Wang Foundation to pay salaries for campaign headquarters staff. Regarding Ying Hsiao-wei, the court found that she accepted NT$52.5 million from Shen Ching-ching, involving charges of bribery against duties under the Anti-Corruption Act and money laundering under the Money Laundering Control Act. She was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months and deprived of civil rights for 6 years. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei)