Seizing billions by tricking people into borrowing money to reverse bank contracts

On April 26, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Nguyen Thi Minh Hai (born 1976), residing in Anh Son town, Anh Son district (Nghe An) for the crime of "Cheat"appropriation of property".

According to the case file, due to business losses and debt, Nguyen Thi Minh Hai had the idea of ​​borrowing money from others to appropriate it. Hai gave false information that she borrowed money to overturn a bank deed and would only borrow it for a short time and then pay it back.

Defendant at trial. Photo: Tran Vu

Because of trust and prior acquaintance, in a short period of time, 3 victims lent Hai a total of 2.93 billion VND. When the time came, Hai did not return the money to the victims. Therefore, the victims filed a complaint against Hai for fraud to the police.

At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. Defendant Hai said that due to debt, he borrowed money from one person to pay the next. However, because of the large debt, the defendant was unable to pay.

The victims who attended the trial said that they had now received back the full amount of money that the defendant had previously embezzled. The victims asked for a lighter sentence for the defendant.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant’s actions were dangerous to society and were considered particularly serious. The defendant committed a crime with aggravating circumstances, having committed the crime two or more times. However, it is also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant, such as his honest confession, having remedied all the consequences, and the victim’s request for a reduced sentence.

Considering the case comprehensively, the People's Court sentenced defendant Nguyen Thi Minh Hai to 8 years in prison for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property".