TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei District Court detained former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) on Monday (Sept. 2) for allegations against him in the Core Pacific City case.

Pong’s lawyer, Ho Hsu-kai (何勖愷), filed an appeal to the court on Tuesday (Sept. 3) at 4:50 p.m., per CNA. Ho said the legal team’s primary concern is Pong’s health.

Ho said Pong had been under medical care for health issues before his detention. He said the legal team is trying to ensure Hong maintains his health and gets adequate rest.

When asked by the media if Pong claimed unfamiliarity with urban planning, Ho responded that Pong’s background is in engineering, which is different from urban planning, per UDN.

In the detention hearing, Pong denied accusations that he accepted bribes in the Core Pacific City development case. According to the ruling, the judge found significant suspicion of Pong’s criminal activity.

Pong is part of a larger series of scandals surrounding Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chair and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).