Headquarters of KMT Taichun suspected in recall fraud investigation raided

Here's Your Rewritten Article:

Scandal in Taiwan: Prosecutors Hunt Down Alleged Forgers in Recall Campaign Scam

By James and Emma, our awesome reporters, with CNA

Today, the Taichung District Prosecutors' Office launched a major investigation, storming the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taichung city chapter office and other locations. The bust led to the arrest of at least eight KMT staffers, all accused of using forged documents in recall campaigns targeting legislators from both the KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

According to local media, the campaigns aimed at DPP Legislators Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純), as well as KMT Legislators Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔) and Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), are under suspicion for using the signatures of deceased individuals.

The Taichung District Prosecutors' Office released a statement today detailing that they're delving into the allegations of forgery in the recall campaigns for the five legislators, in light of reports from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Among the eight detained are secretary-generals Wu Kang-lung (伍康龍), Yang Ta-wei (楊大緯), and Chen Chien-feng (陳建鋒), representing the first, second, and third KMT Taichung city party committees, respectively, as well as five other staffers. Additionally, volunteers involved in the recall campaigns for Yen, Liao, and Huang were summoned for questioning.

Controversy surrounds the campaign against Tsai, with more than half of the signatures being allegedly forged. Tsai urged the prosecutors' office and the CEC to address the situation given its unreasonable nature. In the petition against Ho, 66 signatures were identified as belonging to deceased individuals. Ho remains optimistic about the judicial process' ability to expose the truth.

Mayor of Taichung, Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), chose not to comment on the matter when approached by media, instead expressing gratitude. Yen, the KMT Taichung chapter director, accepted that flaws might occur due to the inexperience of the recall initiatives' organizers but emphasized that the signatures were collected in person.

The KMT Taichung branch issued an official statement, requesting a fact-based and impartial investigation and asking investigators to avoid political persecution. The party vowed to keep a close eye on developments, safeguard justice, and collaborate with like-minded individuals to uphold the rule of law and civil rights.

DPP Taichung City Councilor Wang Li-jen (王立任) advocated for an investigation if fraud is suspected. Should the accused turn out to be innocent, they will be exonerated. This ongoing scandal mirrors previous instances of fraudulent recall mechanisms in other parts of the country.

Enrichment Data:- Investigations into recall campaign scams have turned up cases of alleged document forgery across multiple Taiwanese cities, primarily targeting legislators from both major parties.- The Taichung case (May 2025) saw KMT officials descend upon the Taichung headquarters, eight other locations, and detaining eight party staffers. These campaigns targeted five legislators from both parties, with allegations of forged signatures from deceased individuals identified in separate petitions. The Central Election Commission flagged violations of the Personal Data Protection Act.- Similar cases of document fraud came to light in April 2025 in New Taipei, where KMT Secretary-General Chen Chen-jung was detained for allegedly forging signatures in campaigns against DPP legislators Su Chiao-hui and Lee Kuen-cheng. Keelung also saw prosecutors seeking the detention of three KMT officials for similar allegations.

These investigations indicate a growing focus on fraudulent recall mechanisms being used across Taiwan.

The investigation by the Taichung District Prosecutors' Office, focused on forgery allegations in recall campaigns for five legislators, was prompted by reports from the Central Election Commission (CEC) and involves accused KMT staffers using forged documents.
Alleged forgeries in the recall campaign against DPP Legislator Tsai Chi-chang saw over half of the signatures being identified as fake, leading Tsai to urge the prosecutors' office and the CEC to address the issue.
As part of the growing focus on fraudulent recall mechanisms across Taiwan, similar cases of document forgery were uncovered in New Taipei earlier in the year, with KMT Secretary-General Chen Chen-jung being detained for forging signatures in campaigns against DPP legislators.
In the realm of Taiwanese politics, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) City Councilor Wang Li-jen advocates for investigations if fraud is suspected, ensuring that innocent parties will be exonerated in the ongoing scandal surrounding document forgery and recall campaigns.