Ten KMT members given suspended jail terms for forging recall signatures

The Chiayi District Court on 19 December 2025 handed suspended jail terms to ten individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for forging petition signatures in an attempted recall of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Kuan-ting.

The sentences ranged from 10 to 22 months and were suspended for between three to five years. The court also ordered financial penalties and compulsory community service, citing that the accused had no prior criminal records and had cooperated with the investigation.

Among those sentenced were KMT Chiayi County branch secretary-general Yang Fu-cheng, who received a 22-month sentence suspended for five years, and deputy branch chief Kuo Shu-chiang, sentenced to 16 months suspended for four years.

Yang was additionally ordered to pay NT$600,000 (US$19,000) to the public treasury and perform 120 hours of community service. Kuo must pay NT$400,000 and complete 100 hours of service.

Others sentenced include Lai Chu-huang, Lee Chun-chang, Chuang Mei-ling, Wang Li-chuan, Wu Tzu-yin, Ho Po-lun, Chiang Chiu-tien, and Lin Cheng-lu. Their sentences, between 10 and 20 months, were all suspended for three to five years. They were ordered to pay between NT$150,000 and NT$500,000 and perform 60 to 100 hours of community work.

The Chiayi District Court stated that the defendants had violated Article 41 of the Personal Data Protection Act by unlawfully using private data for non-governmental purposes. It emphasised that although the offences were serious, the defendants had shown remorse and posed a low risk of reoffending.

According to the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office, the forged petition effort stemmed from a failed campaign to recall Chen Kuan-ting earlier this year. A recall drive in January 2025 was eventually declared invalid after petitioners failed to supplement missing documentation by the legal deadline.

However, the recall process drew scrutiny following citizen reports that signatures had been faked. Prosecutors launched an investigation and raided the KMT Chiayi County branch on 5 June 2025, seizing documents and summoning key personnel for questioning.

The indictment revealed that core members of the party held a meeting on 24 January, distributing around 300 blank recall petitions to be filled out using personal information of KMT members without their consent. From 3 to 8 February, volunteers forged details on petitions, pushing the count to 2,639 — above the threshold of 2,204 required to trigger a popular vote.

Of the forged submissions, 39 bore names of deceased individuals, while 511 had incorrect details such as addresses or national identification numbers. Prosecutors concluded that the recall campaign had relied heavily on unauthorised use of personal data.

Yang, acting on instructions from the KMT central leadership, reportedly orchestrated the operation. He enlisted Lai Chu-huang to recruit an unwitting individual, Hsu Chang-jung, as the petition initiator. Yang also had Hsu’s personal seal fabricated without consent and used internal KMT records to compile voter lists for the petition.

The Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office stressed that the investigation upheld principles of neutrality and legality, regardless of party affiliation or rank. It said the case was being pursued under charges of forgery and violations of the Personal Data Protection Act, aimed at preserving democratic integrity.

The recall campaign against Chen Kuan-ting was one of several efforts by the KMT after civic groups had previously led successful recall attempts against KMT legislators. Despite multiple attempts, none of the KMT-led recalls succeeded.

Following the verdict, one of the defendants, Ho Po-lun, indicated a potential appeal, while others said they would consider their next steps upon receiving the full written judgment.