The prosecutor’s office in the south-central province of Binh Thuan has granted bail to a lifer who had served nearly 18 years in jail on murder charges, after his life sentence was canceled last year, pending a re-investigation.

Huynh Van Nen, 53, was released yesterday under a decision of the local People’s Procuracy that said it was no longer necessary to continue detaining Nen, who is now sick.

After picking Nen up at the prison in Phan Thiet City, which is the provincial capital, his relatives took him to a local hospital for a health examination before bringing him home in Ham Tan District.

The granting of bail to Nen is an indication that he might have been wrongfully convicted of a murder that happened in 1998, according to an official at the prosecutor’s office.

In talking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper after being released on bail, Nen affirmed that he had been given unjust punishment not only in that case but also in another.

“I am now very happy to meet my relatives again,” Nen said.

According to the case file, Nen was arrested on May 17, 1998 for killing Le Thi Bong, a woman of Ham Tan, on April 23, 1998.

During the investigation into the case, police indicted Nen for killing another local woman, Duong Thi My, on March 19, 1993.

In 2000, the provincial People’s Court sentenced Nen to life imprisonment for murdering Bong and also condemned him to six years in jail for killing My.

Nine relatives of the man received sentences for involvement in the murder of My.

Five years later, law enforcement agencies announced that Nen was not the killer of the woman and then released and gave compensation to his nine relatives.

Meanwhile, Nen continued serving his life sentence in jail.

In October 2014, the Supreme People’s Procuracy issued a protest against the verdict on Nen after receiving an accusation that another man, Nguyen Tho, could be the real killer of Bong.

The top procuracy concluded that the provincial court had sentenced Nen without firm grounds and had seriously violated the criminal procedures in dealing with the case.

The Supreme People’s Court later bowed to the protest, announced a cancelation of Nen’s verdict, and requested that provincial police re-investigate the murder.

Over the past several years, many lawyers have offered free legal consultancy and defense to Nen, demanding that police officers and the prosecutor’s office clarify 11 issues related to the case.    

The lawyers also required that law enforcement bodies suspend the case and free the man, who has continuously said he fell victim to miscarriage of justice.

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