Singer Wang Wei-hao (王維皓) has been indicted on charges related to evading military service, with prosecutors seeking a prison sentence of at least two years and two months, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office said today.
Wang was classified as fit for regular military service following a mandatory physical examination in 2008, the indictment said.
Photo: CNA
In Taiwan, male citizens typically undergo a mandatory physical examination for military service in the year they turn 19, although those granted an education deferment may be examined after completing their studies.
Wang allegedly paid more than NT$100,000 to an unidentified intermediary in May 2012 to help him obtain an exemption, prosecutors said.
He subsequently obtained a diagnosis of hypertension through the intermediary and ultimately received an exemption from military service, they said.
Wang's case was investigated amid a wider probe into entertainers suspected of illegally evading military service.
Prosecutors said Wang allegedly used fraudulent means to change his military-service classification and was indicted on suspected contravention of the Punishment Act for Violation to Military Service System (妨害兵役治罪條例).
Prosecutors said that Wang deliberately used deception and false medical documentation, undermining fairness in the conscription system, noting that the statutory period of military service at the time was one year and 10 months.
Prosecutors asked the court to consider the seriousness of the alleged conduct and impose a prison term of at least two years and two months, warning that a lighter sentence could weaken the deterrent effect of punishment.
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