The Hualien District Prosecutors' Office today indicted three Hualien County officials for alleged breaches of personal information related to petitions to recall the lawmaker representing the county.
The three officials include Hualien Civil Affairs Department head Ming Liang-chen (明良臻) and deputy head Wu Chun-yi (吳俊毅), who is also the director of the Hualien County Election Committee.
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times
The third official indicted was Chung Wei-ting (鍾威霆), the head of the Hualien City Household Registration Office, prosecutors said in a news release.
The case was related to petition actions to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), who represents the county, amid accusations that the moves ordered by the officials were intended as acts of intimidation.
Prosecutors said that Ming instructed the heads of Hualien's city household registration offices to conduct field checks to verify the signatures on the recall petitions, although he knew verification was the lawful duty of the Hualien County Election Committee.
Ming insisted on strict implementation of the request, even though several office heads raised doubts about it, prosecutors added.
As director of the Hualien County Election Committee, Wu knew Ming's request breached relevant laws, but did not object to it, prosecutors said.
Wu also proposed that household registration offices look for the signatures of petitioners filed with the office for previous household registration tasks, even though he was aware that the signatures must not be used for other purposes, they said.
Chung later instructed household registration personnel to carry out the field visits, even though he was aware that it was not the office's lawful duty, the office said.
Prosecutors said the three officials abused their authority, violated petitioners' privacy, betrayed public trust in the government's protection of personal data and breached the fundamental principle of administrative neutrality expected of civil servants.
Ming showed no remorse, denied any wrongdoing, deleted relevant records in his social media communications and attempted to pass the blame to his subordinates, prosecutors said, therefore recommending a stiff sentence.
As for Wu and Chung, while they carried out Ming's unlawful requests, they acted out of fear of the power of their superior, and the nature of the crimes were therefore more minor, prosecutors said.
The case came to light when Hualien residents were visited by household registration office personnel on Feb. 5 asking whether they had signed recall petitions in person.
The visits occurred just two days after activists sent more than 2,000 signed petitions to the Central Election Commission on Feb. 3, leading to accusations that their intent was to intimidate petitioners for actions that were within their legal rights.
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