Running away with nearly 7 billion, 'hui owner' was prosecuted for fraud and appropriation of... 15 million

(Baonghean.vn) - At the trial of "hui owner" Tran Thi Soa who took 7 billion VND and then fled, many traders were extremely upset that they were victims but were not summoned by the court.

On the afternoon of May 31, Dien Chau District People's Court opened a criminal trial to try defendant Tran Thi Soa (born 1965), residing in Hamlet 9, Dien Thanh Commune (Dien Chau) for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property".

Hearing the news, many traders from Phu Dien market and Dien Chau town market came to watch the trial. However, many people were surprised to learn that only 29 people were summoned by the court as victims.

Many merchants were upset that Ms. Soa was only prosecuted for embezzling 15 million VND. Photo: Tan Ky

Traders said that Mrs. Tran Thi Soa had been a professional collector of savings clubs and loan sharks for decades. On September 16, 2016, Mrs. Soa and her family suddenly disappeared without anyone knowing.

After that, the traders simultaneously wrote a complaint to the Dien Chau District Police. There were more than 300 complaints sent to the authorities accusing Ms. Soa of embezzling nearly 7 billion VND. All of these people had documents recording the amount of money given to Ms. Soa, some were a few million, some were up to hundreds of millions.

However, in the trial, Ms. Soa was only charged with fraud and appropriation of…15 million. This has made many people angry.

Ms. Tran Thi Huong (born in 1963, residing in Dien Thanh, a trader at Phu Dien market) said: “I contributed 180 million VND to Ms. Soa, with a debt note and signatures between both parties. After hearing that Ms. Soa had gone bankrupt and fled, I filed a complaint with the Dien Chau district police. However, during the trial, I was not invited to participate by the court. The other 29 people were only cheated by Ms. Soa out of a few hundred thousand to a few million VND, but were summoned.”

The traders said that, in addition to collecting money from the hui here, many large businesses in Dien Chau town, Dien An commune, Dien Ky commune... also collected money from the hui with Mrs. Soa with the amount of billions of dong, but no one was summoned as a victim.

So, when the trial of Mrs. Soa was opened, many people hoped that the authorities could help them get back the money they lost. However, when they did not get their way, the traders stood up in protest. The trial was then adjourned, and the traders returned home in frustration.

Discussing this matter, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Head of Dien Chau District Procuracy said that Ms. Tran Thi Soa has been the "hui leader" for many years, and people contributed money voluntarily. The lending and interest payment between Ms. Soa and the traders at Phu Dien market is a civil relationship. The traders who want to reclaim the money must file a lawsuit in court and request a settlement.

“On September 16, 2016, Soa knew he could not pay, so he met some people to “collect money”, with the purpose of taking the money to escape. Therefore, the authorities prosecuted Soa for “fraudulent appropriation of property”. The number of victims summoned to court was only on that day,” Mr. Thanh said.

Tan Ky