TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan People’s Party Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) sparked controversy Monday after taking classified documents out of a legislative committee meeting, prompting the Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus to call for changes to parliamentary procedures.

Following a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Huang was seen leaving with classified documents distributed during the session. DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said the documents were returned only after a military officer was sent to retrieve them, per Liberty Times.

Shen said that while documents are typically returned at the end of meetings, current practice does not require lawmakers to hand them over immediately upon exiting the conference room. Huang responded that he returned the documents to the committee after realizing he had mistakenly taken them with him, per CNA.

Huang said he believed the information would no longer be effectively secret once referenced by the US State Department, but added that he still respected the Ministry of National Defense’s classification rules and would comply with them. He also said there was no need to review surveillance footage because he returned the documents as soon as he noticed the mistake.

DPP Legislative Caucus Director Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said existing rules prohibit lawmakers from disclosing state secrets but do not explicitly ban removing classified documents from committee rooms, per CNA. He called for revisions to close what he described as a regulatory loophole.

Chung also said surveillance footage should be reviewed to ensure Huang did not leak sensitive information to others.

DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) and Shen said Wednesday that they had reviewed surveillance footage showing Huang returning the documents 1 minute and 15 seconds after leaving the meeting room, per Knews. Chen said Huang spent 42 seconds outside the range of the cameras, alleging that he may have photographed the confidential material while out of view.

Huang rejected the allegations and called on Shen to apologize for suggesting that he did not return the documents on his own initiative, per UDN. He added that while he believes classified documents should be collected when lawmakers leave meetings, he would take responsibility for mistakenly taking the documents outside the committee room, per Liberty Times.

Separately, DPP Taipei City Council primary candidate Chang Ming-yu (張銘祐) and his lawyer Chan Chin-chien (詹晉鑒) filed a complaint with authorities Tuesday, accusing Huang of breaking the National Security Act, per Liberty Times. Chan said the matter involves the handling of national security information and warrants a formal investigation.