Taiwanese tycoon, 102, whisked away in wheelchair from hospital by family amid guardianship battle

A dramatic encounter between the family members of a 102-year-old tycoon and his wife outside a hospital in Taiwan has sparked legal scrutiny over a family guardianship battle.

The dispute was triggered after the centenarian tycoon, surnamed Wang, reportedly married his much younger long-time caregiver, surnamed Lai, 69, earlier this year.

Footage filmed on 3 February and broadcast by Formosa TV shows the wheelchair-bound Wang being hurried out of the Mackay Memorial Hospital in the city’s Zhongshan district, where he had come to attend a doctor’s appointment with his new wife.

A small crowd of relatives – including his adult children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren – were already waiting for him outside when the two arrived. The family members were then seen seizing control of Mr Wang’s wheelchair and lifting him into a waiting vehicle.

A scuffle broke out outside the hospital as Ms Lai attempted to intervene before being left behind.

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The caregiver, who had worked for Mr Wang for 17 years, sustained injuries during the confrontation and was taken to the hospital’s emergency department, FTV News reported.

She later called the police, alleging that her husband had been taken against his will. The family, however, described the episode as a “rescue”, claiming their father was being held “hostage”.

Mr Wang’s ten children – three sons and seven daughters, several of whom were present at the hospital – accused Ms Lai of exploiting their father’s declining mental state to transfer valuable property to herself and her two children, according to Taipei Times.

They claim he had shown signs of confusion and uncharacteristic behaviour in recent months.

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Following the hospital incident, Ms Lai filed complaints alleging unlawful detention, assault and defamation, and is seeking a protection order.

In response, Mr Wang’s children have launched civil proceedings to annul the marriage, recover transferred assets and obtain legal guardianship, arguing that any consent given by their father was invalid due to cognitive impairment.

Police later visited the residence of one of Mr Wang’s sons and said the elderly man did not appear to be held against his will. Because both his spouse and his children have legal standing, authorities have so far stopped short of intervening further.

Mr Wang’s fourth son told reporters he was relieved that his father was “back home” in time for Lunar New Year.

Chan Shih-Hsien, an officer at Taipei’s Zhongshan Second Police Station, said officers had previously visited Mr Wang’s residence and found that the dispute centred on guardianship rights between the two sides.