KMT lawmaker's aide detained in Pingtung recall probe

Pingtung, May 15 (CNA) A Kuomintang (KMT) legislative aide was detained on Thursday for alleged involvement in a recall petition against a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker that included the names of deceased individuals.

The Pingtung District Court approved a request by prosecutors to detain Chang Fang-shuo (張芳碩), an assistant of KMT Legislator Lu Hsien-Yi (盧縣一), on charges of document forgery and violations of the Personal Data Protection Act.

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the KMT's office and other locations in the southern county, bringing in Chang and 10 others for questioning over alleged forged signatures in a recall campaign against DPP Legislator Wu Li-hua/Saidhai Tahovecahe (伍麗華).

Following a hearing on Thursday, the court ordered Chang to be detained and held incommunicado, while two other suspects, surnamed Kao (高) and Lien (連), were released on bail of NT$100,000 (US$3,315) each and barred from leaving the country.

Eight other individuals, including Hsiao Jung-ming (蕭榮明), secretary-general of the KMT's office, questioned as witnesses, were released without bail.

Chang, the lead petitioner, has categorically denied any wrongdoing, blaming others, and given statements inconsistent with those of other individuals questioned, the court said in a press release.

To prevent collusion or destruction of evidence, the judges argued that Chang's detention was necessary, according to the press release.

This is the latest in a series of arrests involving KMT members or supporters campaigning for the recall of DPP lawmakers. The KMT has argued that the unprecedented nationwide investigations amount to political persecution by the government.

On Wednesday, Lu said Chang was innocent, noting he was the representative of the recall petition and only responsible for collecting information.

How could Chang have known there were issues with the petition signatures, said Lu. "He is not even a member of the KMT."

The investigation originated from a complaint filed by Wu with the Pingtung District Prosecutors' Office on April 17, citing 1,521 invalid signed recall petitions against her, including 202 signatures from deceased individuals and 143 from people outside her elected constituency.