TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) agreed Thursday to disclose interrogation records in a corruption case, alleging prosecutorial misconduct and coercion.

Ko, who faces charges related to the Core Pacific City graft case, claimed that prosecutors threatened to expose alleged illicit content from his hard drive in an attempt to pressure him, per CNA. He also alleged that co-defendants, Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) and Urban Planning Commission Executive Secretary Pei Shao-hsiu(邵琇珮), were coerced into admitting guilt, per UDN.

In response, prosecutors asked the court to disclose two video recordings of Ko’s interrogation, along with the hard drive data. The court rejected both requests, stating that unless the recordings contained confessions or evidence of leading questions, they did not merit release.

The court also ruled that the hard drive data did not need to be disclosed solely to confirm or deny the existence of illicit material.

During the hearing, Ko clashed with Prosecutor Chiang Chang-chi (姜長志), accusing him of continuing the interrogation despite Ko being visibly exhausted, per CNA. Chiang responded that Ko refused to answer questions and had been given ample time to rest. Ko then asked the judge to release the footage to verify his claims.

Following the session, TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) criticized the accuracy of the written interrogation records, alleging they omitted threats and coercion, per Udn. He highlighted the absence of nearly an hour of audio from Pong’s interrogation, a key period before Pong confessed, and accused Prosecutor Lin Chun-yen (林俊言) of altering his interpretation of an urban planning-related law prior to pressing charges.

Ko’s attorney, Lu Cheng-i (陸正義), acknowledged discrepancies between written and audio records but said they did not misrepresent the substance of the exchanges, per ETtoday. Lu pointed to a Sept. 4, 2023, interrogation, during which prosecutors allegedly told Pong, “Everything you said yesterday didn’t count,” suggesting possible undue influence.

The Core Pacific case centers on the controversial expansion of the Core Pacific Mall’s floor area from 392% to 840%, and the alleged financial dealings linked to the project. Recent interrogations have involved officials from the TPP and the public relations firm Muko, which was hired to promote Ko’s presidential campaign.