The Taipei District Court ordered Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹) to be detained and held incommunicado in a second detention hearing today.
Huang is currently a suspect in an investigation into whether KMT recall efforts targeting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) used forged signatures.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office originally sought to detain Huang on Friday last week, but the Taipei District Court ordered her release without bail the following day.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Prosecutors appealed the ruling, with the High Court sending it back to the Taipei District Court for a new ruling.
The Taipei District Court today ruled that Huang was a primary suspect in the case, citing risks of collusion with defendants and destroying evidence, and ordered her to be held incommunicado.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said they would appeal the ruling.
Huang arrived at court at 9:56am, refusing to answer media questions about her alleged involvement in the signature forgery.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) led three party members to the scene to show support and shout slogans, while police issued warnings and deployed additional officers.
KMT legislators Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) and Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) attempted to enter the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office and had heated exchanges with police at the scene.
Chu, who also showed up at the scene to voice support, said Taiwan’s judicial system is being used as a political tool by the DPP to silence opposition.
President William Lai (賴清德) ordered local prosecutors to suppress the KMT through aggressive investigations, Chu said.
The party would not stop supporting Huang and the legal fight will continue, Chu said.
Last week, investigators questioned Huang along with KMT Taipei chapter secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿), chapter secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文) and first district committee executive director Tseng Fan-chuan (曾繁川).
She was originally released alongside Tseng as the Taipei District Court ruled that her status as chapter head alone was insufficient to prove that she was responsible for the forged petitions.
The High Court, in its ruling, cited testimonies, communications records and other evidence that pointed to Huang’s involvement in the matter, overturning the lower court’s decision and ordering it to reconsider.
Additional reporting by Liu Ching-hou
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