Police would today meet with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) to investigate a news report that a tracking device was placed on his vehicle without his knowledge, the New Taipei City Police Department said last night.
In a Storm Media report published yesterday, Yin Nai-ching (尹乃菁), deputy director of the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee, was cited as saying that a device had been attached to Lee's vehicle as part of secret surveillance of opposition politicians by the government.
Yin accused President William Lai (賴清德) of being involved in the scheme, the report said.
Photo copied by Hsu Sheng-lun, Taipei Times
The Presidential Office issued a statement today denying Yin's accusations.
Taiwan is a democracy, and any unlawful surveillance of a party official would be a very serious violation that would undermine public trust in the rule of law and the reputation of government officials, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in the statement.
Lee and the KMT should provide evidence and file a report with the police and prosecutors, seeking a full investigation, Kuo said.
A proper investigation is necessary to maintain public trust, protect Lee's legal rights and preserve the reputations of the people allegedly involved, she said.
There is no room for ambiguity or informal handling of the case, particularly given concerns over the preservation of evidence involving tracking devices, Kuo said.
Neither Lee nor anyone acting on his behalf had filed a formal report about the allegations, the police department said in a statement late yesterday.
Deputy Commissioner Lin Wu-hung (林武宏) was assigned to meet with Lee today to obtain information, ask if he wants to file a formal report and determine whether security checks of his vehicle and residence were necessary, the department said.
When contacted by reporters, Lee said: "That was ages ago."
He declined to comment further.
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