Judicial authorities searched the offices of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local chapters in New Taipei City, and listed 10 party executives and staff as suspects in their probes into fraud and forgery relating to petition campaigns to recall four Democratic Progressive Party legislators.
After being questioned by prosecutors, six KMT executives and staff were yesterday released on bail of NT$50,000 to NT$100,000, while the rest were freed without bail.
Law enforcement authorities on Thursday searched 16 locations, including KMT chapters in the city’s Shulin (樹林), Tucheng (土城) and Sansia (三峽) districts, summoning office directors and secretarial staff for questioning.
Photo: CNA
New Taipei City prosecutors in a news release said the investigations found evidence of fraud and forgery, including mass copying of names of people from KMT member lists without the consent of the owners and forged signatures on petitions that appear to have been written by a handful of people, in contravention of rules governing recalls and personal privacy.
New Taipei City KMT executives allegedly instructed staff and volunteers to go to party offices during the Lunar New Year holiday in February to copy names from KMT member lists, with each person receiving a “red envelope” containing NT$1,000, the release said.
Prosecutors last month also searched KMT chapters in the city’s Banciao (板橋) and Sanchong (三重) districts, and have detained KMT Banciao official Chen Cheng-jung (陳貞容) since April 29.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Yilan County prosecutors investigating similar allegations on Thursday listed 19 KMT members as suspects, with three being placed in detention, while the head of the KMT chapter in Yilan County, Lin Ming-chang (林明昌), was released on NT$800,000 bail.
In other developments, civic groups yesterday submitted to the local election commission in Keelung 37,533 petitions to recall KMT Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥). The total number of signatures collected was 23 percent higher than the minimum required for the second-phase threshold.
Chen Ching-yi (陳青逸), head of the campaign to recall Lin, said the lawmaker had done nothing in the legislature but follow the instructions of KMT leaders to the detriment of the public, and had denigrated people by branding all recall campaign volunteers as attention-seeking “marginalized people.”
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS