Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou asked the island's legislative chief to resign on Wednesday because of his alleged involvement in a lobbying scandal.

Wang Jin-pyng, 72, a politician of the ruling Kuomintang, is suspected of lobbying the then-head of Taiwan's justice authority on behalf of a lawmaker from the opposition party, investigators from Taiwan's procuratorial agency announced last week.

Wang is no longer a suitable head of the legislative body, Ma said at an unscheduled news conference on Wednesday morning.