In one of its kind case, three Brazilian doctors, Rui Sacramento, Pedro Torrecillas and Mariano Fiore Junior have been sentenced for 17 years and six months for killing four patients to sell their kidneys.

One more person was also involved in their act, but he died last night. As per the case filed in the court, all the four doctors took out the kidneys of patients when they were not `brain dead'. But defense attorney refused the as allegations, and said that all the fur patients were dead. And, if they would convict them for killing dead people, then they would be first court in the world to do that.

It took 25 years and then, the decision of doctors' imprisonment was announced by the court. The incident took place in 1986, though doctors would be allowed to continue their practise, they have been asked to follow certain guidelines mentioned for them.

It is not clear that whether it could be termed as `organ trafficking' or not. The incident was taken out in a public hospital, and kidneys were sent to private hospital, for which they got almost US$41,000.

All the four doctors were not charged with the same crime, as Sacramento and Torrecillas were punished for taking out kidneys and for completing all the formalities to transfer it. Fiore, the third doctor, who is neurosurgeon, was charged for claiming all the patients to be `brain dead'.

The court has to face lot of criticism, as they took very long time to announce the decision. Generally also, it is said that Brazilian court is too slow in dealing with crime cases.

The Sao Paulo state Judge Marco Montemor, who dispensed out the judgment, clarified that there were lot of complications in the case, like they have to involve investigation team, source out the receivers of the kidneys, their medical reports, and more.