TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The authorities were postponing the eviction order for the owner of a house which was foreclosed after he failed to pay traffic fines totaling NT$18,000 (US$598), reports said Friday (April 17).

A man from Keelung named Chen (陳) did not pay his four fines by the official deadlines, resulting in a court foreclosing on his third-floor apartment for NT$1.35 million (US$45,000) in January, CNA reported.

Following the decision, Chen filed an appeal, which the authorities were considering. Since the handover of the house, scheduled for April 30, would be irreversible, the Administrative Enforcement Agency decided it would have to be suspended for the time being.

The case attracted attention from the public, with critics saying the foreclosure infringed on Chen’s ownership rights. Due to the recent decision, a local division of the enforcement agency in Yilan County would have to study the case again and come to a final decision, reports said.

Chen alleged mistakes had been made during the official procedure, as his apartment had not been sealed off and documents presented to his mother in his absence did not carry correct signatures. The enforcement agency countered by saying the whole procedure had already lasted four years, but Chen had never contacted them during that period. Officials emphasized that he would receive the proceeds from the foreclosure after the sum of the fines had been subtracted.