TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Investigators questioned Eastern Group founder Gary Wang (王令麟) as a witness Tuesday (Oct. 8) about political donations to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).

The media tycoon spent the morning talking to the Ministry of Justice Agency Against Corruption and will be transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office in the afternoon, per CNA. Ko has been detained since Sept. 5 as prosecutors investigate whether his administration accepted bribes from a developer in return for the floor area ratio expansion on the Core Pacific City project.

During the first phase of the investigation, prosecutors focused on the decision-making process related to the change, interviewing urban development officials from Ko’s period in office from 2014 to 2022. In addition to Ko, six other defendants were detained, including former Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), Core Pacific Chair Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), and Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councillor Angela Ying (應曉薇), who allegedly accepted money from Sheen in return for pressuring city officials.

Wang's questioning was believed to be part of a different phase of the probe focusing on the flow of funds and political donations surrounding the former mayor, associates, and relatives. Prosecutors also investigated foundations and groups linked to the Ko's Taiwan People’s Party.

In a separate development, Ko’s secretary, Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), left Taiwan for Japan before searches and raids were conducted in late August, Mirror Media reported. While the report emphasized her importance, prosecutors said they only wanted to question her as a witness, as her role in the Core Pacific case has not been determined yet.