Judges chase deadbeats who defied court edicts

By Li Xinran  |   2008-11-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

JUDGES detained eight people yesterday in a campaign to help winning plaintiffs receive the court-ordered compensation they were awarded.

All eight had refused to make payments in accordance with court orders, according to people's courts in Putuo and Hongkou districts.

The enforcement chambers of the two courts launched the three-day campaign on Sunday.

In one case handled by the Putuo court, a defendant, Shen Hua, who served an 18-month jail sentence, was detained early yesterday after refusing to compensate the family of a victim he killed in a traffic accident. The Putuo court had ordered Shen to pay about 300,000 yuan (US$44,000) to the victim's family, but he not paid anything on his debt so far.

The Putuo court's enforcement chamber also detained four others for not paying court-ordered compensation.

The court also helped 12 migrant workers obtain a combined 50,000 yuan in back wages.

Meanwhile, Hongkou court dispatched more than 30 officers to clear 12 uncompleted payments.

Officers held more than 10 people in a two-hour operation that began at 5:30am. Three have been detained, the Hongkou court said.