TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan High Court rejected DPP Taipei City Councilor Chen E-jun’s (陳怡君) appeal for detention without visitation in her ongoing corruption case on Tuesday.

Taiwan High Court said that although Chen denied violating the Anti-Corruption Act by embezzling funds through her position, the evidence strongly indicates that she is a prime suspect, per CNA. It added that bail, supervised release, or residence restrictions would not prevent collusion.

Chen is accused of using friends and relatives to pocket more than NT$3 million (US$91,400) in government funds for her aides. On Feb. 12, prosecutors led an operation involving 13 simultaneous searches of Chen’s city council office, local service office, and residence.

On Feb. 13, Shilin District Court released her on bail of NT$1 million, but prosecutors appealed on Feb. 17, per UDN. On Feb. 19, Taiwan High Court revoked the initial ruling and sent the case back to Shilin District Court, which ruled on Feb. 20 to detain Chen for two months without visitation or communication.

Taiwan High Court said the corruption charge against Chen carries a minimum sentence of five years, making it a serious offense with a high risk of flight and evidence tampering. Chat records and witness testimonies revealed that Chen had told witnesses how to respond to questions, confirming the likelihood of collusion, it added