Taiwanese Hokkien Pop Diva Chen Ying-Git, 69, Just Went To Jail For 3 Years, Her First Meal Inside Was Curry Chicken Rice

Yesterday (Aug 23), ’80s Taiwanese Hokkien pop diva Chen Ying-git (陳盈潔) showed up at the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office to report for jail.

The 69-year-old was sentenced to three years and two months’ jail for abetting the counterfeiting of securities.

The singer, who’s known for her 1992 hit song ‘People Life, Ocean Wild’, was accompanied by friends, including renowned Taiwanese musician Hsu Chang-te.

When asked if she was “feeling okay” and if she plans to “appeal for another postponement”, Ying-git remained silent.

Chang-te later divulged to the media that Ying-git hasn’t been feeling well and hasn’t left house in a really long time. She even vomited during the ride to the Prosecutor’s Office.

It was said that Ying-git, who suffered a stroke in 2019, previously appealed for her jail time to be postponed based on the reason that she isn’t physically fit.

The appeal was rejected by the authorities.

So what crime did Ying-git commit actually?

In 2013, the singer allegedly borrowed TWD2.8mil (S$119K) from a friend known as Mr Qiu.

When Mr Qiu requested for a promissory note, Ying-git then abetted her older sister to forge their younger sister’s signature so she could successfully get the loan.

Ying-git was eventually charged for abetting the counterfeiting of securities.

After years of failed appeals, the Supreme Court dealt her the final sentence in July.

The TW$430,200 (S$18K) that Ying-git acquired through the forgery was also confiscated by the court.

Taking into account her health condition, Ying-git was directly admitted to the Taoyuan Women’s Prison yesterday morning.

According to a prison representative, the singer’s inmate number is 0639 and is currently placed in a 10-person cell.

They also shared that her first meal in jail was curry chicken rice, stir-fried minced meat with green beans and potato pork bone stew.

As for her breakfast the next morning, she would be having soya milk and taro buns.

It’s said that Ying-git is calm and hasn’t asked to be bailed out for medical reasons.

The Taoyuan Women’s Prison later explained that Ying-git had passed the health checks in compliance with the regulations and they would continue to monitor her health condition.

With regards to whether Ying-git fits the rejection criteria under the Prison Execution Law, the prison representative shared that they had already consulted a doctor and would detain Ying-git for the time being before further assessments are completed.