Trial from rare protest

(Baonghean.vn) - In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year 2012, despite the bustling and exciting atmosphere outside, the working atmosphere inside the courtroom of the People's Court of Nghe An province was still extremely tense. Standing before the bar were tired and worried faces.

More than two years ago, the case of defendants Le Duc Tho, Nguyen Minh Trong and Nguyen Thi Hoi impersonating officers of the Truong Son Soldier Liaison Committee, using deceitful tricks to swindle commemorative medals and taking advantage of the trust of many retired officers to get benefits for war invalids, Agent Orange victims, monthly allowances and court cases... to appropriate property caused a stir in public opinion. The case was then brought to trial by the People's Court of Dien Chau district with a sentence considered "quite light" for the defendants.

And the unexpected happened, after defendant Nguyen Thi Hoi was sentenced to 3 years in prison (suspended sentence), the People's Procuracy of Dien Chau district appealed, not accepting the sentence given by the People's Court of Dien Chau district. This is a rare event, rarely seen in court sessions because in the past, the people who filed the appeal mostly came from the victims...

As the only subject who requested a retrial, in the appeal trial at the Provincial People's Court, which took place on the day of "Mr. Tao's departure to heaven", only Nguyen Thi Hoi (Hamlet 1, Nam Lam, Dien Lam, Dien Chau) stood before the bar. She accepted almost all the indictments of the presiding judge. But how could she not accept them, when all her crimes were clear when she colluded with other subjects to defraud more than 100 million VND. Even more blameworthy, some of the subjects she defrauded were in difficult and extreme circumstances.

The incident started in August 2009 and the person who connected the whole thing was Le Duc Tho (residing in Block 2, Dien Chau Town). At that time, because he knew Mr. Truong Van Duong - Head of the Truong Son Troops Liaison Committee of the district, Tho knew about the policy of granting commemorative medals to those who had participated in combat and served in combat on the Truong Son route of the National Truong Son Troops Liaison Committee.

Seeing this as an easy money-making opportunity, even though he was not a member of the liaison committee, Tho still carved a rectangular stamp with the words "Liaison Committee - Truong Son Troops of Dien Chau District" and a stamp impersonating Captain Le Duc Tho. Tho also forged a notice about the regulation of collecting fees at 150,000 VND/person (exceeding the regulation by 100,000 VND/person). At that time, Mr. Truong Van Duong himself, due to his gullibility, accidentally signed some fake documents for Tho such as the decision to establish the liaison committee, the letter of introduction and issued Tho 246 sets of commemorative medals. Tho sold all of these commemorative medals to 8 people in 8 communes in Dien Chau, Nghia Dan, Anh Son districts and earned more than 28,000,000 VND.

Seeing that it was easy to make money, Tho discussed with Nguyen Minh Trong (Hamlet 1, Nam Lam, Dien Lam, Dien Chau) and told his sister Nguyen Thi Hoi to go to "some mountainous districts, remote areas, and sell them to get money". Similarly, Trong also forged papers as a representative of Truong Son soldiers and a member of the National Truong Son Soldier Liaison Committee and together with Hoi went to Yen Thanh, Do Luong, and Tan Ky districts to defraud them of commemorative medals and "could" get them the disabled soldier regime, Agent Orange regime, monthly allowance regime, and the case settlement for many subjects. Hoi himself, with this trick, defrauded 111 million VND.

Faced with clear evidence of the crime, at the appeal hearing, the representative of the Provincial People's Procuracy affirmed: Nguyen Thi Hoi's crime was extremely serious, seriously violating the property rights of others. More dangerously, taking advantage of the sacred policy of the State to commit fraud is a dangerous fraud, causing panic in society, affecting the national reputation. Regarding this behavior, according to the representative of the Provincial People's Procuracy, "The 36-month prison sentence imposed by the People's Court of Dien Chau district is not severe, does not accurately reflect the nature of the incident and the protest of the People's Procuracy of Dien Chau district is well-founded".

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the jury members to give the final sentence, especially after the straightforward accusation from the Procuracy. Finally, in this appeal hearing, the court once again showed leniency towards her by maintaining the old sentence!

Song Hoang