Article 280 Criminal Law

Administrative Enforcement

Local market regulation bureaus identify falsified documents during annual inspections or corporate registry updates. When administrative investigators encounter forged seals, administrative proceedings halt and criminal transfer procedures activate. Public security bureaus manage criminal detention, while prosecutors review gathered evidence before issuing formal arrest warrants.

Corporate Liability

Foreign enterprises operating local subsidiaries encounter exposure when factory management creates secondary company chops without board authorization to sign supplier contracts or clear customs shipments. Falsified environmental impact reports or forged inspection documentation subject the enterprise to immediate search warrants or asset freezes. Contracts signed using fraudulent chops require judicial review under corporate agency rules to determine whether the company ratified the contract through performance.

Courts examine payment flows or delivery receipts to evaluate whether corporate knowledge existed prior to enforcement intervention.

Judicial Procedure

Forensic handwriting and impression analysis establish physical authenticity during trial proceedings. Prosecutors must present physical seals, questioned documents, and evidence directly linking the defendant to seal production. Defense counsel routinely demonstrates that executive management granted informal authority to use the chop.

Judicial rulings focus on whether the seal was produced without legal authority.