Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) accusations of judicial persecution ring hollow given the large numbers of “dead people” found on their recall signature petitions, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The KMT has in the past few days unfairly accused public prosecutors of targeting KMT members, and leveled charges of political interference in the justice system by the ruling party, DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
“Judicial probes into fraud and signature forgery in recall petitions are based on material evidence, not politics. We urge both the KMT and the TPP [Taiwan People’s Party] not to disparage and smear Taiwan’s justice system to further their own party’s interests and draw media attention,” Wu added.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Local election commission officers have found 1,923 instances of “signatures” by deceased people in KMT-led signature campaigns to recall DPP lawmakers, Wu said.
That is more than 160 times higher than the 12 instances found in campaigns led by citizens’ groups to oust KMT legislators, she added.
About 30 percent of the KMT campaigns contain irregularities and errors, including possible fraud and likely forged signatures of dead people, compared with 4 percent by citizens’ groups, Wu said, citing the latest available figures.
DPP Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said that signatures submitted by all recall campaign groups were verified by city and county election commission officials, who cross-checked them with local household registration offices.
Therefore, the KMT has no ground to stand on when they protest that the party was being unfairly targeted when its members were questioned by prosecutors about the fraudulent signatures, Lin said, adding that two of the most prominent probes involved cases in Taipei and New Taipei City, which are governed by KMT mayors.
“The irregularities and violations clearly show that the campaigns to recall DPP legislators are led by KMT Youth League and party members, in which they merely copied names and personal information from old party membership lists. That contrasts with citizens’ groups and activists not affiliated with political parties who have diligently set up stations outside to ask citizens to join their campaign and sign up in person,” Lin added.
Attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said that the “signatures of deceased people” were most likely done by KMT members by copying members’ lists to meet the signature threshold and deadline.
They could be charged with forgery under Article 211 of the Criminal Code, with offenders facing a lengthy sentence, he added.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS