Police in Taichung yesterday arrested a couple for allegedly posting threats against 11 Taipei prosecutors, after authorities on Thursday questioned a man surnamed Tai (戴) in Taipei in connection with the case.
The couple, a man surnamed Chou (周) and his girlfriend, surnamed Lin (林), both 41, were taken into custody late on Thursday after police tracked them down based on their social media accounts and IP address.
The three suspects are facing charges of “threatening to cause injury to life, body or property, thereby endangering another person’s safety” under the Criminal Code, and also for allegedly circulating another person’s photograph and private information without consent, a contravention of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Tai, 39, allegedly posted on Facebook a composite image of the 11 Taipei prosecutors handling the investigation of the Core Pacific Mall corruption case, adding: “Remember their names and faces.”
The Taichung couple allegedly reposted Tai’s composite image and added red streaks to represent blood, with the words: “A life for a life.”
The corruption investigation led to the arrest of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), other city officials and executives of Core Pacific Group.
“A life for a life” allegedly referred to the death of Pong’s wife after she fell from a building earlier this week.
Investigators said that “a life for a life” could be construed as inciting a death threat against the prosecutors.
Under questioning, the three suspects complained of the “unfair treatment” of Ko, Pong and other officials.
Prosecutors yesterday said there could be other suspects and that they were investigating Tai’s earlier posts of the photos and names of three judges presiding over the Core Pacific Mall trials.
Investigators believe that Tai had an accomplice who took the pictures illegally during a court hearing.
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