Two individuals from the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Tainan City branch were ordered to be held incommunicado today in a case related to fraudulent signatures in recall campaigns.
KMT Tainan chapter director Chuang Chan-kuei (莊占魁) and a defendant surnamed Liu are currently being held incommunicado.
The recall petitions for Tainan Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) were found to have 99 and 107 signatures from deceased people, the Election Commission found.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s Tainan chapter
Yesterday, investigators searched several places associated with the KMT in Tainan, seizing party membership lists, cell phones and other evidence while summoning five suspects and related individuals for questioning.
Searched locations include Chuang’s home, the KMT Tainan City branch headquarters and other places.
Chuang and Liu are suspected of violating Articles 216 and 210 of the Criminal Code for forging documents, as well as Articles 20 and 41 of the Personal Data Protection Act (保護法), prosecutors said.
They are suspected of serious crimes and are at risk of destroying evidence and colluding with accomplices, prosecutors said.
Chuang and Liu were arrested this morning in Tainan District Court, while the other three people brought in for questioning were released after the interrogation, prosecutors said.
The Tainan District Court are to decide later whether to grant them bail or order them to continue to be detained.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said he respects the judiciary but hopes it would not become a political tool deployed to create a chilling effect on society.
Supporters of recall petitions against the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) lawmakers must unite as the DPP is trying to be the dominant party, he said, adding that 14 cases have been sent to the Central Election Commission.
Additional reporting by Liao Hsueh-ju and Fion Khan
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