TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The chair of KMT’s Taipei branch, 75-year-old Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), was ordered to be placed in detention without bail on Friday after the Taipei District Court reversed its earlier decision to release her.

Huang is being investigated for forging signatures as part of a recall campaign initiated by the KMT in Taipei targeting two DPP Legislators, Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶), UDN reported. Huang was interrogated on April 18 with three other Taipei KMT officials, but the Taiwan District Court initially agreed to release her without bail the next morning. 

The following Tuesday, April 22, Taipei prosecutors appealed the decision, asking the Taiwan High Court to intervene, claiming there was ample evidence to keep her detained. The high court agreed with prosecutors that Huang’s release was inappropriate and ordered the Taipei District Court to revisit the decision. 

Huang’s second hearing was scheduled for Saturday morning, one week after her initial release from custody. It began at 10 a.m. and lasted two hours, resulting in an order for her to be detained without visitation rights. 

Two other suspects in the case, Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), have been held in detention since their arrest on April 18. A fourth KMT official, Tseng Fan-chuan (曾繁川), was interrogated and released without objection by the prosecutors. 

Huang’s defense lawyers argue that the evidence is not sufficient to implicate her in any illegal activity. However, prosecutors successfully argued the possibility that Huang Lu was aware that other suspects were forging signatures for the recall petitions.