Election commission chief accuses KMT of 'organized criminal behavior'

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) on Wednesday accused the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) of "organized, systemic criminal behavior" amid ongoing probes into forged signatures in recall vote campaigns.

Lee made the remarks during a hearing at the Legislative Yuan after KMT lawmaker Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said the CEC's decision to refer alleged wrongdoing to prosecutors during the first stage of the recall vote process was "unfair."

Hsu said that in past cases -- such as the 2020 recall of former Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) -- signature forgery allegations were only reported after voting ended.

Lee responded that the current situation was "not the same," citing a series of citizen complaints filed in early February and 14 official document requests from prosecutorial and investigative agencies between February and March.

He said the CEC only moved forward with a referral after internal checks confirmed the presence of forged documents and fake seals, triggering a legal obligation under Article 241 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to report the case.

Hsu questioned Lee's conduct by revisiting a case in which Lee was accused, but acquitted, of instructing a court clerk to falsify records while serving as a judge at the Taichung District Court.

Lee, a longtime member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who left the party after being nominated to head the CEC in 2019, responded by saying that was an "old case from 40 years ago" that resulted in a not-guilty verdict.

"There was no copied list, no signatures of dead people, and no stolen seals. It is completely different from the cases being handled now," the central election commission chairman said.

Hitting back, Lee accused Hsu of trying to distract from what he described as "organized, systematic criminal behavior."

"You bringing up this case won't help cover up your organized criminal activity," Lee told the KMT lawmaker during the heated exchange.

Taiwan is witnessing an unprecedented surge in recall vote campaigns, with both DPP and KMT supporters seeking to oust rival lawmakers.

However, prosecutors have launched investigations across Taiwan, accusing some campaigners of forging signatures on petitions in efforts to trigger public recall votes under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act.