New Taipei:Nine entertainers who confessed to evading compulsory military service have received suspended sentences, as ruled by the New Taipei District Court on Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the entertainers were required to pay fines ranging from NT$300,000 to NT$1.3 million (US$9,500-US$41,000) to the national treasury and perform community service. This ruling is part of a broader case involving 15 defendants, which included five civilians and alleged ringleader Chen Chih-ming. All defendants pleaded guilty during the proceedings.

Leo Liao, a former member of the rock group Circus, received a suspended sentence of one year and 10 months, with a four-year suspension period. He was also fined NT$1.3 million and required to complete 60 hours of community service. The remaining eight entertainers and four civilians received similar suspended sentences of up to four years, accompanied by fines and community service requirements in most instances. One civilian defendant was sentenced to six months imprisonment, which may be converted to a fine.

Chen Chih-ming was convicted of 14 offenses, leading to individual sentences ranging from one year and four months to two years for each offense. He was also ordered to forfeit more than NT$2 million in criminal proceeds. The court has yet to determine a combined sentence for Chen due to ongoing trials in related cases.

This case is part of an investigation that began in February 2025, targeting allegations that Chen facilitated the evasion of military service by falsifying medical test results to secure hypertension diagnoses. In Taiwan, avoiding mandatory military service through illegal methods carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.