Nghe An: Man sentenced for illegally bringing people across the border during the epidemic season

On December 14, 2020, Nghe An Provincial People's Court brought the defendant to trial.Ba Chu Tower(Born in 1989), in Truong Son village, Nam Can commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Organizing illegal exit and entry for others" during the peak of the epidemic season. The case was personally presided over by Chief Justice Tran Ngoc Son. This is the first case to be tried related to epidemic prevention work.

Panorama of the trial. Photo: An Quynh

Previously, on June 7, 2020, when Lau Ba Chu went to see cows in Tien Tieu village (Nam Can, Ky Son district), he met Dau Xuan Chung and a man named Phu of unknown origin who took a bus to Ky Son and asked Lau Ba Chu to take them to Laos. Seeing that the job was simple, Chu asked for a salary of 3.5 million/person.

That evening, Lau Ba Chu drove a motorbike to pick up Dau Xuan Chung and a man named Phu to the border between Tien Tieu village (Nam Can commune, Ky Son district) and Din Dam village (Noong Het district, Xieng Khouang, Laos). When they arrived, Lau Ba Chu collected 7 million VND and arranged for a Laotian to pick them up for 1.6 million Lao kip.

On August 7, 2020, Dau Xuan Chung continued to call Lau Ba Chu to ask him to take him from Laos to Vietnam with 1.1 million Lao kip. At about 12 o'clock on August 10, 2020, Chung arrived at the bus station in Noong Het district (Laos) to return to Vietnam and was picked up by a Lao man arranged by Lau Ba Chu to take him across the Laos - Vietnam border. Chung was picked up by Lau Ba Xua (Lau Ba Chu's younger brother) and taken to Nam Can. Then Dau Xuan Chung was picked up by a man arranged by Lau Ba Chu and continued down to Muong Xen town. When he reached the end of Truong Son village, he was taken to the police station to be questioned about illegal entry.

The representative of the People's Procuracy affirmed that the Provincial People's Procuracy had prosecuted the right person, the right crime, and in accordance with the law. After expressing his opinion, the representative of the People's Procuracy proposed a sentence of 12-13 months in prison.

The representative of the People's Procuracy proposed a sentence of 12 - 13 months in prison. Photo: An Quynh.

At the trial, the panel of judges determined that the defendant's act of transporting people across the border without the control of the authorities was a violation of the law, especially at a time when the Government was implementing many measures to prevent and control the spread of the virus.pandemic. However, the defendant Chu was recognized by the government for his achievements in building the New Rural Area and for his efforts in rescuing people from natural disasters, so he was considered a mitigating circumstance. Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced defendant Lau Ba Chu to 12 months in prison for "Organizing illegal exit and entry for others". As for the Laotian man whom Chu asked to help others illegally exit and enter the country, because his background could not be clearly verified, there was no basis for investigation.