TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Security Council (NSC) apologized Tuesday (Feb. 7) after allegations emerged that a senior official was involved in a clash with airport immigration staff about his permit to leave the country.

The accusations were made public by lawmakers of the New Power Party (NPP), who questioned why the official was eventually allowed to leave the country. Employees of sensitive government departments have to apply for permission before traveling overseas.

The chief of the NSC secretariat was planning to take his family on a Malaysia Airlines flight scheduled for Jan. 22 at 12:15 a.m., as he had obtained permission from his employer to leave the country for the Jan. 22-26 period.

However, as he tried to go through immigration late on Jan. 21, the electronic system rejected his NSC document, and an argument erupted between the NSC official and immigration officers. He shouted and slammed his fist on a desk, the Liberty Times reported.

According to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), once the situation was cleared up, the NSC official and his family were allowed to pass through and board their flight, which left at 12:08 a.m. However, the NIA reminded government officials who need permission from their department to leave the country that if their flight was scheduled early in the morning, they should ask for leave for the previous day as well in order to make immigration proceedings easier.

The NSC apologized to the relevant authorities for the incident, while it would consider how to improve its procedures to prevent future misunderstandings, per UDN.