Kidney trafficker sentenced to 9 years in prison.

On November 19th, the Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Court opened the first-instance trial of the case of trafficking in human body parts against defendant Nguyen Van Ninh (born in 1988, residing in My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province).

According to the indictment, because Ninh had previously sold his own kidney at Hue Central Hospital, he was familiar with the procedures for kidney transplant applications and the demand for kidneys from patients. Around the end of 2020, Ninh went to the Nephrology Department of Hue Central Hospital to find patients in need of kidney transplants and people selling kidneys in order to conduct kidney trafficking for illicit profit.

Ninh and the kidney buyer reached an agreement through a "Healthcare Service Contract," with prices ranging from 700 million to 1 billion VND per kidney, depending on the time.

Defendant Nguyen Van Ninh in court. (Photo: Ngoc Sang)

The contract specifies terms and conditions such as: medical examinations and treatment, hospital procedures, tests, surgery, and other expenses until the kidney transplant is successful.

The parties agreed to pay in four installments. Installment 1, a deposit of 150 million VND, covered the costs of testing for the patient and the kidney seller, as well as the cost of purchasing the seller's information. Installment 2, another 150 million VND, covered the examination costs for the patient and the kidney seller, as well as the council fees and accommodation expenses for the kidney seller.

Phase 3 involves paying 200 million VND to cover surgical costs and the kidney donor's living expenses. Phase 4 involves paying the remaining balance after the kidney transplant.

According to the investigation results, between the end of 2020 and June 2023, Ninh successfully trafficked kidneys in four cases. At the time of his arrest by the Thua Thien Hue Provincial Police Investigation Agency, Ninh was in the process of conducting three other kidney trafficking operations. Due to Ninh's arrest, kidney transplants in these three cases had not yet been carried out.

In addition to the cases mentioned above, Ninh also confessed to successfully buying, selling, and transplanting kidneys for five other individuals. However, because these individuals were not present in the area during the investigation, their whereabouts and activities were unknown, so the police were unable to obtain statements or evidence to clarify the matter, and therefore there was no basis for prosecution.

Through these kidney trafficking operations, Ninh illegally profited hundreds of millions of dong.

At the trial, the defendant honestly confessed, expressed remorse, and requested the lightest possible sentence so that he could return to his family soon. After reviewing the case file and the questioning process at the trial, the Panel of Judges of the Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Court sentenced Nguyen Van Ninh to 9 years in prison.

NGUYEN VUONG

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ke-chuyen-buon-ban-than-nguoi-linh-an-9-nam-tu-ar908355.html