Uncle Tried to Seize Nephew's Inheritance After Parents' Death... Suspended Prison Sentence in First Trial

Uncle Receives Suspended Sentence for Attempting to Seize Nephew's Property
Charged with Forgery of Private Documents and Submission of False Inheritance Renunciation Letter

An uncle who tried to seize the inheritance that his nephew would receive after the nephew's parents passed away was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

On the 12th, the Criminal Division 4 of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Young-ha) announced that it upheld the original sentence of 6 months imprisonment with a 2-year suspension in the appeal trial of A (57), who was indicted on charges of forgery of private documents and use of forged private documents.

A was prosecuted for forging private documents using the seal of his nephew B in 2018 and submitting a false renunciation of inheritance. After B's parents died, A obtained B's seal by saying, "It is necessary for disputes over property with other siblings." B trusted A, who was the brother of B's deceased mother, and affixed the seal.

However, A had a different true intention. Using B's seal, he submitted to the court a petition for renunciation of inheritance and a power of attorney stating that B would give up all inherited property. Based on the submitted documents, the court issued a decision accepting B's renunciation of inheritance. A then forged and submitted another application in B's name to the court to receive the decision document.

The prosecution viewed A's crime as an attempt to share B's inheritance with other siblings. A is known to have consistently denied the charges during the trial.

Earlier, the first trial court stated, "The defendant forged the petition for renunciation of inheritance to exclude the victim from inheritance, and the crime is not minor," and "considering that the defendant did not seem to gain much from the distribution of the inherited property." A appealed the verdict, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, stating, "The sentencing in the original trial is within a reasonable discretionary range."