Prosecutors cancel credit card default lawsuit against disabled mother

Prosecutors in Hui'an, in East China's Fujian province, have decided not to file a lawsuit against a disabled mother who was allegedly involved in a case of credit card fraud. The move has touched the hearts of many on China's social media platforms.

The disabled mother, surnamed Zhou, was facing charges after going overdrawn on a credit card to the tune of 18 thousand yuan (around $2,700) to order to pay for college tuition fees for her children and failed to pay the money back.

The mother, who became disabled at 4 years old after suffering poliomyelitis, has a monthly income of just 1,000 yuan on which she has to support the whole family, including her daughter, son and husband who is also disabled.

The meager income is nowhere near enough to cover the family's regular costs, let alone the high tuition fees. The unpaid fees could result in her two children dropping out of school.

The whole family has done their best to make extra money to fulfill the two kids' college dreams, but they still fell short of what they needed to cover the fees.

Zhou said she had no choice but to go overdrawn on the credit card, and added that she didn't realize her actions were against the law, believing that she could pay back the money slowly.

The bank reported the default to the police and the prosecutors initially sought an indictment on credit card fraud.

When she realized her action has in violation of the law, Zhou immediately gave herself up to the police and paid all the money back to the bank with the help of friends and relatives, and some relief from the bank.

The prosecutors hesitated to file an immediate lawsuit against Zhou, because they knew it would be a major blow to the impoverished family. They also knew that if convicted Zhou could end up in prison, and subject to a high fine.

The prosecutors finally decided not to bring Zhou to court after looking into the case more deeply and realizing the difficulties her family had faced. They suggested that as the amounts involved in the case were small, and Zhou's violation had harmed no one, noting would be gained through prosecution.

Hearing the decision, Zhou expressed her gratitude to the prosecutors, saying that they had not only helped her, but also her whole family.

A volunteer group from Hui'an Procuratorate also gave the family 5,000 yuan to help them pay for the tuition fees.