Investigators grill three KMT employees over allegations of financial misconduct
A Scandalous Investigation: Recall Petition Fraud Uncovered in Yilan County
Yesterday, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Yilan County chapter was searched, leading to the questioning of at least three staffers. The inquiry, reportedly surrounding recall petition fraud, has put a spotlight on a deceitful campaign against Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇).
Unveiled misconduct includes fraudulent petition signatures, with over 40 signatures discovered to be from deceased individuals, and more than 10 forged signatures, according to sources privy to the situation.
The investigation is said to be shifting to the Yilan District Prosecutors' Office for a deeper probe into alleged document forgery and violations of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
Prosecutors took more than just a cursory interest, searching the residence of the recall campaign leader, Lee Hui-ling (李惠玲), and, in turn, Questioning her, as well as two other staffers, surnamed Lee (李) and Wang (汪). These questioning sessions occurred at around 12:30 PM. Other campaign associates were also questioned and had their homes searched.
Conspicuously absent from the questioning list was KMT Yilan County chapter director Lin Ming-chang (林明昌).
Criticism from Chen Yilan County Councilor Joy Huang (黃琯婷) arose, as she perceives this probe as less of an investigation and more of a suppressive, politically-motivated persecution. She underscored the gravity of judicial interference and political intimidation, suggesting that the right to recall politicians, enshrined in the Constitution, should be respected.
Chen, in a statement, acknowledged the public's right to recall politicians, expressing his willingness to engage with voters in Yilan County. He emphasized that forging and using signatures of deceased individuals rather than upholding democratic values, amounted to trampling upon the very system that grants said political rights.
It has emerged that the broader investigation into the recall campaign encompasses not just three KMT staffers but also thirteen defendants, with at least fifteen individuals being questioned overall [2][3]. The roles of the Yilan staffers, according to Li Tzu-hui's court testimony, involved instructing subordinates to fabricate signatures [2].
The KMT Taipei chapter chair, Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), faced separate detention on April 25, due to similar forgery allegations linked to recall petitions against DPP lawmakers [4]. The new evidence, consisting of chat logs and witness testimony, precipitated her detention [4].
This complex case entails suspected infractions of Taiwan’s Personal Data Protection Act and document forgery [2][4].
- The investigation into the fraudulent recall petition against Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇) has implicated at least 13 defendants, including three from the Yilan County chapter staff.
- The questioning sessions of the Yilan County staffers, Lee (李) and Wang (汪), took place at around 12:30 PM, following the search of their residences.
- Criticism towards the probe has emerged, with Yilan County Councilor Joy Huang (黃琯婷) perceiving it as politically motivated and a form of judicial interference.
- parallel investigations are underway, with KMT Taipei chapter chair, Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), facing detention on April 25 due to similar forgery allegations linked to recall petitions against DPP lawmakers.
