When we receive ang paus as kids, our parents will usually take them away from us, right? This is because, back then we’re too young to comprehend its value or use it, hence our folks would often keep it safe in the bank for our future usage.
Either way, we’ve never really questioned who the rightful owner of the money should be, even though we don’t get to use that money at all. However, a girl from China recently sued her parents for taking her ang pau money over the years.
Source: Subway Surfers Wikia
According to Business Insider, the girl called Juan had sued her parents under the offence of misappropriating her ang paus after they stopped paying for her university tuition fees. Well, that’s an extremely gutsy move!
According to Juan, her parents had embezzled about 58,000 yuan (approx. RM35,760) from the red envelopes that were given to her over the years. The best part is, the court eventually ruled in her favour and ordered her parents to pay her 1,500 yuan (approx. RM924) a month. Who knew this could possibly happen?
Source: Quick Meme
Now, if you’re thinking this case is the first of its kind, it actually isn’t. Previously, many other cases had taken place pertaining to the same matter.
For instance, once in the Jinan court, a man along with his three children successfully sued his ex-wife for taking 560,000 yuan (approx. RM345,270) worth of ang paus that was claimed to have belonged to the children.
Meanwhile, a court in Yueqing, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, ruled against a mother, stating that she had misappropriated the money gifted to her children by their paternal grandmother in 2012 – when the couple had a divorce. She was later ordered by the court to return all of the money, with interest, to her children who were all minors.
Source: Women’s Weekly
With that said, these court cases have raised a very important question – who actually owns the ang pau money that’s given to a child (especially a minor)? The parents or the child?
Well, it is actually the legal responsibility of the parents/guardians to manage and protect the property of their children under their care; however, they are not entitled to misappropriate it.
“Parents must make it clear to their children that they are only keeping the money for them and not taking it away. The money should remain under the ownership of the children who receive it,” a Weibo statement said.
In a nutshell, the children are technically still the rightful owner of the ang paus but parents are allowed to keep the money for them. However, what the parents do with the money must be disclosed to the kids, even if they are minors.
Now you know that kids are entitled to their ang paus!
Back to the girl who sued her parents, do you think she went overboard or it was her right to do so?
Also read: Malaysians’ Guide to CNY ‘Ang Pows’ and How Much They Should Be Giving
