TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday (April 25) rejected an appeal against the will of Evergreen Group founder Chang Yung-fa (張榮發), potentially leaving NT$14 billion (US$455.81 million) to just one of his sons, StarLux Airlines Chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒).
After the elder Chang died in Jan. 2016, a testament emerged in which he left most of his NT$24 billion fortune to Chang Kuo-wei, his fourth son, born to a different wife than his earlier children.
Chang Kuo-cheng (張國政), the third child of his first wife, disputed the legality of the will. After losing his case in the Taipei District Court, he filed an appeal with the High Court, which judged the will to be legal on Tuesday. Another round of appeals was still possible, CNA reported.
In the document written in Dec. 2014, the tycoon left all his savings, stocks, and real estate to Chang Kuo-wei. However, attorneys for Chang Kuo-cheng argued that his father did not sign the will himself, did not appoint witnesses, and did not communicate the contents of the will to have it notarized, while other details also did not follow relevant laws, UDN reported.
Chang Kuo-wei’s attorneys said medical records proved that his father was still able to make decisions at the time, and that the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) had concluded that the signature on the document had been handwritten by the tycoon.
The Taipei District Court agreed and confirmed the validity of the Evergreen Group founder’s will. Several former executives at the company also told the court they had witnessed the elder Chang reading and signing the document which he had dictated to one of them. The tycoon might have been slow in movement and speech, but he was fully conscious of his decisions, they told the court.
Under Taiwan’s inheritance laws, Chang Kuo-wei would be likely to receive NT$14 billion if the High Court verdict stood, while the five other heirs could receive NT$2 billion each.
After his father’s death, Chang Kuo-wei was forced to leave the Evergreen Group’s airline, EVA Air, and went on to found his own carrier, StarLux Airlines.
