After former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je was sentenced to 17 years in the first instance, the case has moved to the second instance, giving him his first chance to overturn the verdict.

• At the High Court's first hearing, Ko Wen-je arrived accompanied by his wife and did not answer questions from the media.
• This hearing dealt first with the political donations portion, with the court organising the alleged criminal facts and the evidence each side wants examined.
• In the first instance, besides Ko Wen-je, Taipei City Councillor Ying Hsiao-wei was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months and Core Pacific Group chairman Sheen Ching-jing to 10 years, with the Core Pacific City case at the centre.
• Both the prosecution and all seven defendants have appealed, meaning neither side accepts the verdict.
• Ko Wen-je has changed his legal team, bringing in a former chief prosecutor and a former judge, a sign that he is preparing for a long fight.

Outlook: The second instance is still at the preparatory-proceedings stage, so no new verdict is expected in the near term, while the mobilisation of supporters at hearings and the political fallout will continue to build.