Three staff members of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) New Taipei City chapter were brought in for questioning by prosecutors yesterday in connection with allegedly falsified signatures in a recall campaign.
Searches were carried out on the office and the residences of the three people yesterday morning, following the launch of an investigation into reports of falsified personal information on recall petitions targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers.
Two of the staff were from the KMT’s office in Banciao District (板橋) — secretary-general Chen Chen-jung (陳貞容) and secretary Chu Pei-yi (朱蓓儀) — with the third being Sanchong District (三重) office executive director Lo Ta-yu (羅大宇), the KMT’s New Taipei City chapter said in a statement.
Photo: Tung Kuan-yi, Taipei Times
Chen and Chu, along with computers and other evidence, were taken from their homes by investigators this morning, chapter head Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄) said.
The party has already arranged legal assistance for them, Huang added.
KMT New Taipei City caucus secretary-general Wang Wei-yuan (王威元) called the search “political retaliation.”
The searches took place after Saturday’s protest organized by the opposition, strongly suggesting that these searches are a warning, Wang added.
The chapter said it respects the rule of law, but called for an impartial and law-abiding investigation.
The nationwide searches appeared to be politically motivated, Huang said, although he expressed respect for the judicial process.
Authorities should avoid unlawful investigative tactics that could intimidate citizens and undermine political expression, Huang added.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Keelung conducted a separate search of a KMT office yesterday in connection with another case involving allegedly fake signatures in a recall campaign targeting two DPP city councilors, Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Chang (張之豪).
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