Taipei: Former Deputy Taipei Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng on Tuesday asserted his innocence in the Core Pacific City corruption case hours after the death of his wife in Kaohsiung, despite having confessed during a 2024 interrogation.

According to Focus Taiwan, Pong learned of his wife’s passing while waiting for a court session at the Taipei District Court. Overcome with emotion, he broke into tears, declared his innocence, and revealed that he had contemplated taking his own life during detention to prove his innocence. His emotional outburst included questions about the justice system and the integrity of the prosecutors.

Initially, the court considered hospitalizing Pong for treatment due to his emotional state. However, they decided to send him home under the care of his younger brother. The Kaohsiung City Fire Bureau reported receiving an emergency call at 9:01 a.m. about a person falling from a building. Firefighters found a 72-year-old woman, identified as Pong’s wife, Hsieh, on the ground with multiple fractures and no signs of life.

The Taipei District Court had planned to review Pong’s interrogation recording that morning but canceled the session following the news of his wife’s tragic death. In the wake of this event, various political figures and parties, including the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) caucus, and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wu Szu-yao, extended their condolences.

Pong was indicted in December 2024 alongside former Taipei Mayor and former TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je and Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing in a corruption case. The officials were accused of accepting bribes from the company to illegally increase the permissible floor area ratio of a redevelopment project, thus enhancing the property’s market value by allowing more construction space.