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Ta Van Thuan, 48, was charged with "fabricating an organization's seal or documents and use thereof" and "brokering illegal entry, exit, or stay in Vietnam," Hanoi People’s Court ruled.
Thuan’s wife, Bui Thuy Dung, 47, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Two Chinese, 34-year-old Li Shao Long and 42-year-old Liu Jian Min, were sentenced to 3.5 and three years in prison respectively.
All three were charged with "fabricating an organization's seal or documents and use thereof."
Long and Min would be deported from Vietnam once they complete their sentences.
Long, who was wanted for injuring someone, illegally entered Vietnam in 2009. In 2012, Long opened a clothing shop in Hanoi and had two children with a local woman. They ended their relationship in 2015 after the mother learned of Long’s background.
He then asked her family to find a way to provide him a fake ID proving his Vietnamese nationality so he could stay. They then contacted Thuan, who forged a fake ID card for Long using the name of the woman’s brother.
On March 20, 2015, Thuan registered for a new ID card, then let his wife Dung bring Long to a police station to finalize the process. Dung received VND20 million ($880.87) in payment.
In 2019, Thuan and his wife also helped Min, wanted by Interpol for contract fraud, to forge another fake ID. Min learnt of Thuan’s service via Long.
With their fake IDs, Long and Min secured passports and flew back and forth between Vietnam and Thailand, opening bank accounts, signed up for residency and had jobs.
Between December 2020 to January 2021, the two were caught by police.
In court, Thuan and Dung said they knew Long and Min were foreigners, but did not know they were wanted criminals.
Personnel and units responsible for making the fake IDs stated they were indeed mistaken, but lacked any motivation and gained no reward for doing what they did. They were not put under criminal investigation, but may face punishment in accordance with existing regulations.
