"Fake bills" for flood relief donations: Will the act of "blocking" be prosecuted?

Contrary to humanitarian purposes, if some subjects have taken advantage of donation and charity activities for personal gain. This is truly condemnable and worthy of criticism.

Recently, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front published more than 12,000 pages of statements of donations to people affected by storm No. 3, with a total amount of up to 527.8 billion VND. At the same time, it was accidentally revealed that many individuals and groups sent amounts that did not match the posted statements.

After the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front released statements of the money received, many cases of famous people and influencers on social networks suspected of forging bills (invoices) for transferring charity money were "examined" by netizens. A typical case is the case of athlete Pham Nhu Phuong (commonly known as Louis Pham) which is causing a stir on social networks.

In addition, there was an individual representing the 'class' who donated 2k (ie 2 thousand VND) or a public figure who actually donated 50 million VND but the statement image of 500 thousand VND was "shown off" on his personal page and many similar cases. There was even a young man who donated 10 thousand VND but "processed" the statement to make it 100 million VND, along with messages full of gratitude.

The above information has attracted the attention of the online community, many people expressed surprise and raised many questions about fraud for personal gain, or accidentally the person transferring money "missed" due to some mistake.

Regarding cases of forgery and editing of charity money transfer bills, Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong (Chinh Phap Law Office, Hanoi Bar Association) shared specific information.

According to lawyer Dang Van Cuong, the act of editing and photoshopping money transfer bills not only violates social ethics but also violates the law. Depending on the nature and severity of the act, there will be a form of handling according to legal regulations, and this act can even be prosecuted for criminal liability.

Specifically, Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong said that if the verification results of the authorities show that the act of editing the charity money transfer bill and posting it on social networks causes difficulties for the receiving unit, affects the statistical activities, distributes charity money, and causes bad public opinion, then the person who makes fake bills and posts false information on cyberspace will be considered for criminal prosecution for the crime of abusing democratic freedoms according to the provisions of Article 331 of the Penal Code.

In case the act of forging a money transfer bill and posting it publicly on social networks has not caused any bad consequences or negatively affected social order and safety, the person who provides false information about this charity money transfer will be subject to administrative sanctions according to the provisions of Article 101, Decree No. 15/2020/ND-CP with a fine of 10-20 million VND for organizations and a fine of 5-10 million VND for individuals.

In addition, speaking with reporters, Lawyer Diep Nang Binh - Head of Tinh Thong Luat Law Office (Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association) said that the situation of natural disasters and floods in the northern provinces of our country is evolving in a complicated and unpredictable manner with many serious consequences such as landslides, flooding, which can cause damage to both people and property, environmental pollution, epidemics; significantly affecting security, order, social safety and the development of the national economy.

With the attention and close direction of the State and the spirit of mutual love, the State and the people are actively joining hands to help people in affected areas overcome the consequences of natural disasters and floods through many measures, activities, and fundraising and charity campaigns.

However, contrary to the humanitarian purpose, some subjects have taken advantage of these donation and charity activities for personal gain. This is truly condemnable and worthy of criticism! The authorities need to proactively intervene to prevent and strictly handle violations, if any. The State also needs to take timely measures to warn people about fraud.