Yu was intercepted by law-enforcement personnel at Kaohsiung International Airport while he was attempting to leave the country early yesterday.

He has come under investigation after being listed as a potential suspect in the case of alleged bribery in connection with the construction of an exhibition hall in Taipei's Nangang District in 2003.

Lin Chin-tsun, deputy chief prosecutor of the office, said the prosecutor in charge of the case filed for a court order to detain Yu after investigators found that Yu was possibly involved in leaking confidential government information, profiteering, and colluding with suspects in the case.

Lin said Yu was barred from leaving the country before the prosecutors office summoned him on Oct. 7 to report to the office today as a potential suspect.

According to the prosecutors office, Yu is suspected of leaking the names of members of a committee that was responsible for screening the bids for the costly construction of the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, a brand new annex to the Taipei World Trade Center at the Xinyi Commercial District.

Yu made the name list available to the company that eventually won the bid during his tenure as minister of the interior in the period 2002-2004, the prosecutor charged.

The DPP, which became the opposition party in May after holding power for eight years, blasted the law enforcement agencies for violating Yu's rights.

Yu was already on the Macau-bound plane when immigration officials and airport police came on board and demanded he get off, according to Legislator Chiu Yi-ying from the DPP.

Chiu protested that prosecutors were making an unnecessary move of blocking the former minister's overseas trip in violation of his rights.

According to Chiu, Yu had received a summons late Tuesday night requiring him to attend an interview this morning in the capacity of a witness to the case.

Yu, who had already made plans for the Macau trip well in advance, had his lawyer ask for a leave of absence for Thursday's session.

"We can't believe that the district prosecutors could ask Yu to get off the plane. This is a total disregard of his rights," said Chiu.

She said it was unreasonable for the prosecutors to make Yu a suspect so suddenly. It was also outrageous that some TV news even claimed that Yu was trying to flee the country, Chiu said.

"It is impossible that Yu would want to flee," Chiu maintained.

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