TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court scheduled the first appeal hearing in former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) corruption case for Sept. 8, following his conviction and 17-year prison sentence earlier this year.
The three-judge panel set the first preparatory hearing for 3 p.m. on Sept. 8 and ordered Ko and the other defendants to appear, per CNA.
The appeal stems from a March 26 ruling by the Taipei District Court in four corruption-related cases involving the Core Pacific City redevelopment project and alleged illegal political donations. Nine of the 11 defendants were convicted.
In addition to Ko's sentence, KMT Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇) was sentenced to 15 years and six months, while Core Pacific Group Chair Sheen Ching-ching (沈慶京) was sentenced to 10 years. The remaining six convicted defendants received prison terms ranging from one year to six years and six months.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office and Ko and six other defendants appealed the ruling, with the cases now before the Taiwan High Court.
Under the High Court's case assignment procedures, a computerized lottery selected the three-judge panel. Judge Chiu Tzu-shan (邱滋杉) will serve as presiding judge, with Judges Lu Ning-li (呂寧莉) and Liu Chao-chu (劉兆菊) serving on the panel, per LTN.
Separately, Ko's ankle monitor will be replaced with a wrist-worn electronic monitoring device. Ko is scheduled to report to the Renai Road Police Station of the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng First Precinct at 10 a.m. Wednesday to have the device replaced.
Ko has also expanded his legal team for the appeal. The defense now includes Kuan Kao-yueh (管高岳) and former Judge Lin Shih-meng (林石猛), who will work alongside Ko's original attorney, Cheng Shen-yuan (鄭深元), per CNA.
