Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang has been recommended for further investigation into charges.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court, based on the complaint filed by Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien and Ms. Dang Thi Han Ni, it is necessary to clarify whether Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang showed signs of "humiliating others" or "defamation".
After reviewing the case file and finding that there were still many points requiring further investigation, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court decided to return the case file regarding the crime of "Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals," committed by Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang and her accomplices.
Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court requested further investigation into three areas:
Regarding the compensation claims of some individuals in the case, since the case file does not contain complete evidence, the court has requested the investigating agency to supplement it. If the supplement is not provided, the court will proceed according to regulations.
Although Mr. Huynh Uy Dung was not named in the complaints filed by the 10 victims, he appeared in Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang's live streams. However, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency and the People's Procuracy have not yet clarified whether or not Mr. Huynh Uy Dung played a role as an accomplice in the case.
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Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang at the investigative agency. Photo: Provided by the police. |
According to the court, in addition to the charge of "Abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals" that the Procuratorate has prosecuted against Ms. Hang and her accomplices, based on the complaint filed by Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien and Ms. Dang Thi Han Ni, there is also an accusation that Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang fabricated and disseminated false information, infringing upon the honor, reputation, and dignity of individuals.
Therefore, according to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court, whether the actions of Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang and her accomplices constitute the crime of "Humiliating others" or "Slander" also needs to be clarified by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency and the People's Procuracy.
According to the indictment by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy, from March 2021 to March 2022, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang used social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok to conduct live streams.
Ms. Hang has spoken directly about the private lives and content that affects the reputation and honor of 10 people, including: artist Hoai Linh, singer Vy Oanh, Ms. Dang Thi Han Ni, singer Dam Vinh Hung, singer Thuy Tien and her husband Le Cong Vinh, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien and Ms. Dinh Thi Lan, Le Thi Giau, and Truong Viet Ha.
During the investigation, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang stated that the information regarding the private lives of individuals mentioned above was obtained from unreliable online sources, newspaper articles, and... even from dreams. Ms. Hang also admitted that this information had not been verified and lacked any factual basis.
During the expanded investigation, the Ho Chi Minh City Police have indicted Dr. Dang Anh Quan, a law lecturer, along with three others: Nguyen Thi Mai Nhi (40 years old, an assistant to Ms. Hang), Le Thi Thu Ha (aka Ha Lee, 31 years old, an employee), and Huynh Cong Tan (29 years old, Head of Communications at Dai Nam Joint Stock Company).
Although they had no conflict with the aforementioned individuals, because they were employees and received salaries from the defendant Nguyen Phuong Hang, defendants Nhi, Ha, and Tan actively assisted Hang in committing the crime.
Regarding the defendant Dang Anh Quan (Doctor of Law - Lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law), in 11 livestream sessions (from October 9, 2021 to March 22, 2022), Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hang made statements insulting individuals, all of which involved his participation.
