Prosecutors investigate KMT members in recall probe across north Taiwan

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) Investigations into cases of alleged signature forgeries in recall vote campaigns continued on Tuesday, with prosecutors detaining a KMT city branch secretary in New Taipei, releasing three KMT local officials, and requesting the detention of three others in Keelung.

KMT New Taipei City Branch Secretary-General Chen Chen-jung (陳貞容) was ordered detained and held incommunicado by the New Taipei District Court after being questioned for over two hours, according to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

The office said Chen is suspected of being involved in forging signatures in a campaign to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The suspicion follows lawsuits filed by DPP legislators Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) who alleged that false signatures were used in the recall efforts targeting them.

Chen was among four KMT local officials brought in during a second wave of searches on Monday. The other three -- Tsai Kan-tzu (蔡甘子), Chu Pei-yi (朱蓓儀), and Lo Ta-yu (羅大宇) -- were released after questioning, prosecutors said.

The searches on Monday included the KMT's New Taipei City branch and followed earlier raids on April 15 targeting 30 locations, including the KMT's Banqiao District and Sanchong District branches.

On Tuesday, the KMT's New Taipei City branch chairman Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄) criticized Chen's detention as politically motivated and said the party would "definitely" file an appeal.

Huang said it was "incomprehensible" that prosecutors would initiate a second round of searches and questioning without presenting new evidence.

He also argued that the court's approval of the detention order after a "short one hour" hearing raised further concerns about the fairness of the proceedings.

In a separate case, prosecutors said they raided six locations in Taiwan's northern city of Keelung on Monday, including the KMT city branch and residences of recall organizers targeting DPP city councilors Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Tiun (張之豪).

The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau's (MJIB) Keelung City Field Office executed the searches and brought in Chi Wen-chuan (紀文荃), the chief petitioner in the recall campaign against Cheng; Yu Cheng-yi (游正義), the chief petitioner in the recall campaign against Tiun; and Hsu Shao-yeh (許紹業), the designated replacement leader in the Cheng recall, for questioning on suspicion of involvement in forging documents, prosecutors said.

Authorities also questioned the KMT's Ren'ai District branch director Chang Chin-fa (張金發), branch chairman Wu Kuo-sheng (吳國勝), first section chief Hsiao Chuang-feng (蕭壯峰), and branch secretary-general Li Ming-yi (李銘議) as witnesses.

After questioning, Chang Chin-fa and Wu were reclassified as suspects and transferred for further interrogation, the MJIB's Keelung City Field Office said.

Prosecutors suspect that Keelung City Government's Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔) accessed the household registration system to assist in verifying or obtaining personal data for the recall petition, in violation of civil service neutrality.

Prosecutors said they submitted requests to Keelung District Court to formally detain Chang Yuan-hsiang, Chi and Chang Chin-fa on Tuesday. The court had not yet made a decision, as of press time.

Wu was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,295) bail, Yu on NT$150,000, and Hsu on NT$30,000, prosecutors said.

In both New Taipei and Keelung, the campaigners were attempting to gather signatures required to trigger a public recall vote under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act.