TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation published Friday the results of a survey asking Taiwanese about the ongoing case of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).

The survey found that 54% of Taiwanese people over the age of 20 are dissatisfied with the Taipei District Prosecutors handling of Ko’s case, with only about 27% expressing satisfaction with the authorities. Comparing responses with a similar survey taken in January, the TPOF found that respondents expressing satisfaction with prosecutors handling the case dropped by about 14%, while those expressing dissatisfaction rose by nearly 18%.

The former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party will be tried on corruption and embezzlement charges related to the Core Pacific City property development deal, and is facing a potential sentence of up to 28 years in jail. Ko was released after paying a bail bond of NT$70 million (US$2.3 million) after more than a year in detention. 

On Tuesday, Taipei District Prosecutors appealed to the Taiwan High Court to reverse the decision, alleging that Ko has already broken the terms of his bail agreements. In late December 2024, a similar effort by prosecutors resulted in the court overturning a bail decision for Ko only days after his release, forcing him to return to detention on Jan. 2.

On Friday, TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that it is no surprise that the conduct of prosecutors is corroding trust in public trust in Taiwan’s judicial system. Huang accused Taipei District Prosecutors Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) and Wang Chun-li (王俊力), as well as President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of being responsible for damaging the reputation of the judiciary, reported UDN.