Image Credit: Taiwan News
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Charles Lin appeared at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on 11 September for questioning as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je. The inquiry centres on accusations that Ko accepted bribes from the Core Pacific Group to secure a significant increase in the floor area ratio for a development project.
Ko, who served as Taipei’s mayor from 2014 to 2018, has been held incommunicado since 5 September, facing allegations of bribery. The prosecutors’ focus on Lin stems from his tenure as one of Ko’s deputy mayors and his role as head of the city’s urban planning commission during Ko’s first term.
During the interrogation, which lasted over an hour, Lin reportedly denied any involvement in the Core Pacific City project. Following his release, Lin expressed his respect for the judicial process to the assembled media.
Former City Government Deputy Secretary General Lee Te-chuan was also questioned. Lee was questioned for about two hours but chose not to make any comments to the press. Earlier in the day, Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councillor Angela Ying, accused of accepting approximately NT$47 million (US$1.47 million) from Core Pacific Chair Sheen Ching-jing to influence the city government, was also interrogated. Ying, Sheen, and former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng remain in detention, with their appeals for release having been rejected by the court.
The ongoing investigation continues to scrutinise the roles of various individuals involved, while Ko has opted not to challenge his detention through his legal representatives.