TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ten defendants and six witnesses were brought in for questioning Friday (Sept. 27), with Core Pacific Development Corporation Chair Chu Ya-hu (朱亞虎) and former Taipei Mayor's Office Director Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) detained and held incommunicado Saturday (Sept. 28).
Both were accused of abusing their power and accepting bribes. Taipei District Court has not yet set the date for Lee and Chu's detention hearings, per CNA.
The ongoing probe is related to the floor area ratio of the Core Pacific City shopping mall in Taipei. During Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) time as mayor, the floor area ratio of the mall increased from 392% to 840%.
This led to suspicions of favoritism toward the developer. The former Taipei mayor has been detained incommunicado as a defendant since Sept. 5 and is being investigated for allegedly receiving bribes from Core Pacific Group.
Additionally, prosecutors ordered Chang Chih-cheng (張志澄), Core Pacific City Company supervisor, to post a bail of NT$2.5 million (US$79,000). Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源), legal affairs manager of the Core Pacific Group, was also ordered to post a bail of NT$1.5 million.
Other defendants and the six witnesses were released after questioning.