TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The High Court has ruled that former TPP Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is appealing a 17-year prison sentence in the Core Pacific City floor area ratio corruption case, may replace his electronic ankle monitor with an electronic wrist bracelet beginning Aug. 5.
The court issued the ruling after Ko requested that his electronic monitoring requirements be removed or modified. He argued he is not a flight risk because he has posted NT$70 million (US$2.17 million) in bail and is caring for his elderly mother, according to UDN.
Ko said the ankle monitor caused frequent false alarms during travel. Since his release on bail, the device has generated 3,803 alerts, with about 98% attributed to system anomalies. Alerts were also triggered when he approached coastal areas or when signal reception was poor, making it difficult to determine whether he had attempted to evade monitoring.
The High Court ruled that electronic surveillance remains necessary while Ko's appeal is pending. It ordered him to wear an electronic wrist bracelet from Aug. 5 through Jan. 14, while maintaining restrictions on overseas travel and departure from Taiwan. The ruling may still be appealed.
In his petition, Ko argued that continued electronic surveillance was unnecessary because, as the founding chair of the TPP, he has an obligation to promote the development of Taiwan's third political force. He said his political duties require travel to coastal areas and offshore islands, including Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu, and that such activities are protected by the public's right to participate in politics.
During the monitoring period, Ko triggered 53 Level 3 alerts, including while traveling near coastal areas such as Tongxiao Township in Miaoli County, Lingya District in Kaohsiung, Wuqi District in Taichung, Dayuan District in Taoyuan, and Dongshi Township in Chiayi County, or when the device was offline for more than 30 minutes.
The High Court said previous cases have shown that defendants with families, permanent residences, and substantial assets in Taiwan have still fled while out on bail, justifying continued technological surveillance, per UDN.
Separately, Ko played down reports that his wife, Chen Pei-chi (陳佩琪), recently traveled to China after netizens photographed her at Beijing Capital International Airport on Saturday. She later confirmed on social media that she spent the past week visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing, per LTN.
When asked by local media, Ko said he did not have time to manage his wife's affairs, adding that their son had taken her on the trip. Responding to criticism online, Chen questioned why "an ordinary citizen cannot travel to Beijing," saying Taiwan is a democratic country and that she paid for the trip herself after retiring.
