A released prisoner from Bac Giang Province has denied that he asked the People's Supreme Court for compensation worth over VND1 billion (USD47,337) for his 10-year unjust imprisonment.

Released prisoner and wife deny authoring petition

Nguyen Thanh Chan had been sentenced to life for murder 10 years ago and was released last November after the guilty party confessed.

Chan said that he is living with his family after his release from the prison. He has been asking for legal consultation about compensation for his losses.

Recently, an unsigned petition, said to have been made by Chan’s relatives, was published by some media outlets. The petition claims that he asked for a compensation of over VND1 billion.

The petition said that before he was arrested in 2003, he was the main bread-winner in his family and had an income of about  VD280,000 (USD13.25) per day.

The petition calculated he was jailed for 3,700 days, and compensation arrived at the figure of over VND1 billion.

Chan in front of the ancestor altar at his home

In addition, he asked for some other compensations for his wife who was ill and had to get medical treatment worth VND60 million during her effort to claim innocence for him as well as their debts worth around VND500 million during his imprisonment, the complaint said. There are other compensations the petition asked for, including medical and other expenses.

However, Chan said, “I haven't made any such petition. I’m still calculating my losses over the period and completing the required paperwork."

Vu Thi Nga, the lawyer who represents Chan, also denied involvement.

“I’m Chan’s lawyer and providing him with pro-bono legal consultation. Chan and his family plan to negotiate the matter,” Nga noted.

On one occasion, Chan has complained about the speed of the process, saying, "After my release I have to reintegrate into the community and work to earn a living. This is made very difficult, as both my wife and I are ill. I wish the payments could be made sooner."

To date, his family has yet to receive any compensation for his unjust imprisonment.

Chan has also accused local authorities of extorting a false confession. On February 27, Chan met investigators from the Ministry of Public Security for the the third round of negotiations.