A man who refused to pay court-ordered labor fees attempted an elaborate scheme to hide his assets after discovering his accounts had been frozen, only to face criminal prosecution in the end. The Xiamen Haicang Court recently released details of this case involving refusal to execute a court judgment or ruling.

In May 2024, Su was ordered by the court to pay Luo and Li over 30,000 yuan in labor fees following a labor contract dispute. After the judgment took effect, Su failed to comply, prompting Luo and Li to apply for compulsory enforcement with the court.

By October 2024, Su discovered that his WeChat, Alipay, and bank accounts had all been frozen. An online search revealed the freeze was linked to the enforcement case against him. Rather than contacting the court, Su chose to remain idle—neither reaching out to the court nor fulfilling his obligations.

In December 2025, Su won a separate lawsuit involving a construction project contract dispute, with the court ordering a company to pay him over 170,000 yuan in project fees plus interest. In an attempt to evade his enforcement obligations, Su tried to arrange cash payments or have the funds deposited into another person's account. After being rejected, he executed a series of maneuvers—first providing an unfrozen bank account to receive over 130,000 yuan, then swiftly transferring more than 120,000 yuan into an account under the name of Li, which he actually controlled, and finally forwarding the remaining funds to his father.

The money was ultimately diverted for other purposes, leaving the court's effective judgment unenforceable. In May 2026, Su was apprehended by public security authorities. Upon arrest, he truthfully confessed his actions and paid the full 30,000-plus yuan execution fee to the court the following day.

After trial, the court determined that Su, despite having the ability to execute the court's judgment and ruling, refused to do so with serious circumstances, constituting the crime of refusing to execute a court judgment or ruling. Given his truthful confession, which qualified as frank admission warranting lighter punishment, his voluntary payment of the execution fee, and his guilty plea with acceptance of punishment, the court sentenced Su to three months of criminal detention, suspended for six months. The verdict has now taken effect.

Judge's commentary: Effective judgments must be honored, and evading enforcement will lead to accountability. Fulfilling obligations determined by effective court judgments and cooperating with lawful enforcement is the duty of every citizen. Those who have the ability but refuse to perform, or who fail to cooperate with enforcement when required, may face criminal liability if circumstances are serious. In this case, the judgment debtor Su not only refused to comply after the judgment took effect but also attempted to evade his obligations by transferring funds to other people's accounts, ultimately resulting in criminal prosecution.

Source: Straits Herald, FM93 Traffic Radio