Vietnamese Couple Considering Filing Charges

The Vietnamese couple accused of having a sham marriage are considering filing charges against The National University Hospital of Iceland (Landspítali) for breach of confidentiality and violation of privacy.

After having come forward to defend their marriage as “real”, Thi Thuy Nguyen and Hao Van Tio are now taking into consideration whether or not to file charges against Landspítali, RÚV reports.

Of particular concern is the fact that the Directorate of Immigration (UTL) stated in their letter to police that “information has come from the National Hospital that the woman was very young and childlike”, referring to the couple’s visit to the hospital shortly before UTL contacted the police. Hospital officials said they had no knowledge of this case, but when Vísir spoke again with UTL, an official for the Directorate said they received an anonymous tip from the hospital about the couple.

“This is dead serious, because a leak like this has no place in a government institution, let alone Landspítali,” Björg Valgeirsdóttir, Thi Thuy Nguyen’s lawyer, told reporters, pointing out that the hospital only has the right to report on patient information to Child Protective Services. “So it seems as though the transfer of this information from Landspítali to UTL was completely illegal.”

Hospital officials said they are taking the matter very seriously and conducting a full investigation. Nonetheless, Björg says it is “very likely” that charges will be filed.