Confidential information of 14,200 people diagnosed with HIV in Singapore has been leaked, the city-state’s government said Monday.
In a statement posted on their website, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said that information about 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been leaked online by an American with a previous record of fraud.
“While access to the confidential information has been disabled, it is still in the possession of the unauthorized person, and could still be publicly disclosed in the future. We are working with relevant parties to scan the Internet for signs of further disclosure of the information,” the statement read.
The health ministry named the suspect behind the leak as U.S. citizen Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez, who was living in Singapore on an employment pass before he was deported after finishing a jail sentence for fraud last year.
Brochez was a partner of Ler Teck Siang, a Singaporean doctor who has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for failing to adequately secure confidential information of HIV-positive patients. The charge is currently pending before the courts.
The health ministry was notified last week by police that confidential information from the HIV registry was disclosed.