TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court has dismissed an appeal by former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and three co-defendants in the Core Pacific City case.

Ko, following the advice of his lawyers, filed an appeal on Friday against his detention with the Taipei District Court, which was subsequently forwarded to the Taiwan High Court for review. After a day of deliberation, the presiding judge, Huang Han-yi (黃翰義), dismissed the appeal at 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, according to UDN.

Ko argued that charges had already been filed with ample evidence, negating the need for further detention, and asserted that he posed no flight risk. He also claimed the detention orders and prosecutorial actions amounted to human rights abuse.

The Taiwan High Court rejected Ko’s arguments, stating that the severity of the charges and the risk of Ko colluding with others to destroy evidence justified continued detention, as prosecutors had requested, UDN reported.

Ko was first detained by Taipei prosecutors in August 2024 as part of a corruption investigation. Four months later, on Dec. 26, charges were filed against him. The Taipei District Court initially granted Ko bail for NT$30 million (US$970,000) on Dec. 27.

Prosecutors successfully appealed Ko’s release, with the Taiwan High Court overturning the bail decision on Dec. 29. Upon review, the Taipei District Court raised Ko’s bail amount to NT$70 million, which was paid on Dec. 30.

On Dec. 31, prosecutors requested the Taiwan High Court again overturn the lower court’s decision to release Ko. On Jan. 2, Ko was ordered back into detention, where he remains.

Appeals by three co-defendants were also dismissed by the court, UDN reported. They include Core Pacific Group Chairman Shen Ching-jing (沈慶京), Ko's former finance chief Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗), and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇).