18-month sentence upheld for man over fake marriage

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court Taichung Branch Court on Thursday upheld a prison sentence of one year and six months for a man found guilty of forgery after he married a high school student who had recently inherited NT$500 million (US$15.28 million).

In a news statement, the high court dismissed the defendant Hsia's (夏) appeal and upheld the Taichung District Court's ruling.

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed.

In June 2024, the district court found Hsia guilty of "causing a civil servant to make a false entry in public records."

It said that Hsia had not married the high school student, surnamed Lai (賴), for genuine reasons and that he acted out of self-interest and took advantage of the 18-year-old, seriously violating and abusing the marriage system.

In January 2023, Lai's father gifted him properties worth NT$500 million, the release said.

Hsia, who worked as an assistant to his father, a land administration agent, both witnessed the contract signing.

In April of that year, Lai's father died, and he subsequently faced inheritance disputes with his father's spouse, the release said.

On May 4, Hsia invited Lai to discuss his property and financial affairs. There was no evidence Hsia's father was aware of this.

The release said he persuaded Lai to marry him under the guise that it would help him avoid inheritance disputes with his father's spouse.

There was no evidence of a relationship between Lai and Hsia and nobody knew about their plans to wed.

Two hours after the pair were married, Lai fell out of the building where Hsia lived. He was proclaimed dead at the hospital shortly after, the release said.

Prosecutors initially found insufficient evidence to charge Hsia for Lai's murder. However, after Lai's family appealed, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Taichung Branch ordered the district prosecutors office to continue investigating. The case is ongoing.