Keelung official detained over alleged data misuse in recall campaign

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) The Keelung District Court on Tuesday approved a request by prosecutors to detain Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔), a former director of the Keelung City Civil Affairs Department, in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged misuse of personal data in a recall vote campaign.

The Keelung District Prosecutors Office suspects that Chang illegally accessed Taiwan's household registration system to help revise and verify a Kuomintang party membership list in Keelung City.

The data was used to remove the names of deceased party members and update addresses to assist the signature-gathering effort to recall Democratic Progressive Party city councilors Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Tiun (張之豪), prosecutors said.

Chang had previously been released on NT$400,000 bail late last month, but was summoned for questioning on Monday after prosecutors uncovered new evidence in the case.

Chang was unable to provide clear explanations regarding the new evidence and continued to downplay the nature and structure of the alleged offenses, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors submitted a detention request to the Keelung District Court at around 3 a.m. Tuesday, citing a high risk that Chang could collude with others or destroy evidence unless he was held incommunicado according to the law.

The court approved the detention request around midday on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

The case also involves Hsieh Wei-jen (謝偉仁), an advisor to the Keelung City government, who was questioned and later released on NT$150,000 bail on Tuesday, according to prosecutors.

The investigation in Keelung is one of several taking place across Taiwan, with campaigners accused of forging signatures on petitions in efforts to trigger public recall votes under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act.