Ko Wen-je denies wrongdoing over "cold wallet," accuses president of politicizing judiciary

Ko Wen-je, former chairman of Taiwan's People's Party, has vehemently denied allegations surrounding a "cold wallet" discovered during a search of his residence in connection with the Jinghua City and political donation embezzlement cases. His wife, Chen Pei-chi, had previously posted on Facebook that the "black box" was a gift from a young entrepreneur.

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This is not just detaining people for testimony, it's detaining people to force confessions!

Speaking at a temple in Taoyuan City, Ko explained that the cold wallet was a souvenir from a startup event he attended while serving as Taipei mayor. He claimed it was never used and was simply stored in a drawer. Ko accused prosecutors of "coercion" and collaborating with specific media outlets to fabricate stories, warning President Lai Ching-te against using the judiciary for political purposes.

"This is not just detaining people for testimony, it's detaining people to force confessions!" Ko exclaimed. He criticized the prosecution's process, alleging they first find an unrelated reason to detain individuals before searching party headquarters and residences, confiscating data, and then constructing narratives. He specifically pointed to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, accusing it of colluding with Mirror Media to act as a "political thug."

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President Lai Ching-te, don't use the judiciary as a political tool!

Ko further questioned why information seized from his phones and computers during the search did not appear in the indictment or court documents, yet was subsequently reported by the media. He demanded an investigation into the leak, implying it originated from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. "The people of the whole country are watching, stop doing such shameless things!" Ko declared.

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The people of the whole country are watching, stop doing such shameless things!