TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A court detained two KMT officials and released two others on Saturday amid an investigation into recall fraud allegations.
The four were taken into custody Friday evening as prosecutors investigated reports that campaigners produced fraudulent signatures in support of recalls targeting DPP legislators Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶). Prosecutors sought to detain all four on suspicion of violating forgery and data protection laws.
The Taipei District Court ordered KMT Taipei branch staffers Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and Yao Fu-wen (姚富文) held incommunicado for two months, per CNA. The court ruled there was sufficient evidence suggesting the pair committed forgery and had attempted to destroy evidence.
The court said their testimonies were inconsistent and suspected a large volume of personal data had been falsified. Detention was deemed necessary given the severity of the alleged crimes.
Meanwhile, KMT Taipei Chair Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹) and Taipei district officer Tseng Fan-chuan (曾繁川) were released without bail before 6 a.m. The court found no cause to detain them, stating there was no evidence that Huang had seen any forged information in her capacity as Taipei branch chair.
The court added that although documents were likely forged, it could not confirm Tseng had handled them, and the handwriting in question did not match his.
Prosecutors questioned six others on Monday as part of the investigation, including Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Chang Ke-chin (張克晉), the leaders of the recall campaigns against the two Wus. Chang was released without bail, while the others were released on bail ranging from NT$200,000 (US$6,135) to NT$500,000.
The arrests on Friday sparked a KMT-led protest near the district court and calls for a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet. KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) met with Huang upon her release and accused the Lai Ching-te (賴清德) administration of using the judiciary for political purposes.
Chu said protests against the detentions continued through the night and pledged party support for those "wronged by the judiciary." He accused prosecutors of detaining individuals based on “speculation.”
DPP Spokesperson Justin Wu (吳崢) criticized the KMT’s protests, pointing out that KMT legislators had recently passed amendments to the recall law that imposed stiffer penalties for fraud.
Wu noted that KMT lawmakers had argued against leniency for falsifying signatures during legislative debates. Passed in December, the amendments introduced penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to NT$1 million for forging recall petition signatures.
Protesters initially gathered outside the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office on Friday, where clashes with police were reported. As public assembly laws prohibit demonstrations near court buildings, police eventually dispersed the group, which reassembled at a legally permitted site nearby.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) also appeared at the protest outside the prosecutors’ office. He said he was attending in a personal capacity and had instructed police to carry out their duties lawfully.
Wu criticized Chiang’s presence, saying it put Taipei police in a difficult position. Interior Minister Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said she respected Chiang’s right to protest and affirmed that prosecutors would investigate any unlawful assemblies.
In response to Chu’s planned protest outside the Presidential Office next week, Liu said all demonstrations must comply with public assembly laws. She said police would enforce those laws “with all their strength.”
