Former lead singer of F.I.R. band, Faye, had accused her mentor, Chen Jianning, and three others of forging documents, but were not prosecuted. However, Faye is now facing charges of false accusation herself. In the morning of the 14th, the Taipei District Court held a hearing where Faye choked back tears while reading a statement, expressing her willingness to honestly face the court proceedings. Chen Jianning expressed gratitude for the court’s fairness and hoped that Faye would deal with the legal process properly.
Faye left F.I.R. in 2018 and pursued a solo career under her real name. In 2019, she accused her mentor of forging her signature to sign with the HIM International Music record label, bringing allegations against Chen Jianning, HIM’s former chairman Lu Yanqing, and general manager He Yanling for document forgery. However, Chen Jianning counter-accused Faye of false accusation and defamation.
Based on the handwriting analysis results by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, it was determined that Faye’s signature on a performance guarantee in 2013 was genuine, leading to no prosecution for Chen Jianning and others. However, Faye was still charged with false accusation and defamation. The prosecutor took into consideration Chen’s remarks to Faye’s agent that “Faye is always forgetful”, indicating that it could have been a genuine mistake on Faye’s part, leading to her non-prosecution. But upon review by the Supreme Prosecutors Office, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office decided to proceed with the false accusation charge.
During the court hearing in March, Faye maintained her innocence, stating that she acted based on her understanding of the situation. Her appointed lawyer pointed out flaws in the handwriting analysis conducted during the prosecutor’s investigation. The prosecutor requested Chen Jianning and others to appear in court as witnesses, which was approved and they were summoned to testify on this day.
After the hearing, Faye, in an interview, read a prepared statement, at times choking up, stating her commitment to truthfully facing the court proceedings and revealing the facts to avoid misunderstandings and rumors.
Regarding her accusation of document forgery, she stated that it was to uphold the truth and justice in her heart, defending her name “Faye”.
Faye also mentioned that over the years since the incident, she had not spoken publicly because she believed she could endure the grievances and emotions herself. She expressed regret for the negative attention and hoped for a swift resolution of the issues, thanking everyone once again.
Chen Jianning, in a post-hearing interview, thanked the court for their fairness. The document forgery case had been in litigation for 3 to 4 years, with the court ultimately ruling in their favor. His main purpose in attending the hearing was as a witness since Faye accused them of forging documents, a claim they found baseless. He emphasized that they all had signed with HIM International together and had mutually agreed on Faye’s departure for her solo career. They found it perplexing that she later accused them of forgery. With the handwriting analysis confirming her genuine signature, he hoped Faye would face the legal proceedings properly.
Due to their past friendship, he refrained from saying more and hoped that everyone could face the future positively together.