A court in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Thursday delivered the jail term to a man who forged documents pronouncing him as being in the final stage of AIDS to escape a jail term.
Le Trong Thanh, 26, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by the An Giang Province People’s Court.
Le Trong Cuong, Thanh’s younger brother, and Doan Thi Nhan, Thanh’s mother, received three and two years, respectively, for acting as his accomplices.
Tran Thi Tuyet Mai, a woman who helped Thanh forge the documents, got four years.
Long An Province are still investigating Truong Chi Si, a doctor at the Long An Province General Hospital, for his involvement in the case.
According to the indictment, in March 2008, Thanh was sentenced to 13 years and a half on charges of “murder” and “assault.” He served the jail term in a local prison.
In 2010, he got sick and was taken to the Long An Province General Hospital for treatment.
There he met Mai, who said she could help him forge medical documents pronouncing he was in the final stage of AIDS.
He hired Mai to do the job and paid her VND80 million (US$3,744).
The indictment says Mai and Cuong (Thanh’s brother) switched Thanh’s blood sample with an AIDS patient’s.
Dr. Si then wrote in Thanh’s medical record that he was in the final stage of AIDS.
The Long An Province People’s Court suspended his jail term and released him back home for treatment.
Six month later, Mai forged documents saying that Thanh died from AIDS. Thanh paid her VND20 million ($936).
Thanh’s family came to the authorities of My Hoa Hung Commune to declare Thanh’s death. The commune’s legal officers granted the death certificate to the family.
Thanh then made a fake ID in Ho Chi Minh City, and got married.
In February 2012, Thanh got involved in a fight. He pulled out a gun to threaten some people.
After he was arrested, local police investigated and found out his previous acts.