KMT Official Sentenced to 1.5 Years for Forging Recall Petition Signatures

Lin Ming-chang, the Kuomintang (KMT) party chairman for Yilan County, has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison for his role in forging signatures on a petition to recall legislator Chen Chun-yu. The Yilan District Court delivered the verdict today, finding Lin guilty of violating personal data protection laws and forging private documents.

Lin, who also served as the KMT's deputy executive officer for policy, denied the charges throughout the proceedings. Due to his lack of remorse and denial, he was not granted a suspended sentence. The court handed down sentences to 11 other individuals involved in the forgery scheme, with prison terms ranging from 6 months to 1 year and 4 months. These individuals received suspended sentences of 3 to 4 years.

The case centered on the alleged falsification of a proposal document for the recall of legislator Chen Chun-yu. Prosecutors had indicted 12 people on charges including violations of the Personal Data Protection Act and the Criminal Code for forging private documents. The verdict is subject to appeal.