Customs officer who swapped ivory tusks faces death penalty
Hoang swapped nearly 240 kg of ivory evidence in the case with plastic and wood, sold it outside and appropriated more than 2.9 billion VND.
The Hanoi People's Procuracy has just completed the indictment, prosecuting Pham Minh Hoang (36 years old, former officer of the Anti-smuggling and Violation Handling Department - Hanoi Customs Department), Tran Trong Cuong (44 years old) for the crime of Embezzlement of property with a penalty of 20 years, life imprisonment to death.
In connection with the case, Hoang Van Dien (26 years old) was prosecuted for trafficking in prohibited goods.
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Fake ivory tusks were made of wood to be swapped into the evidence warehouse. |
According to the prosecution, tIn June 2016, Hoang was assigned to be the warehouse keeper to manage the agency's physical evidence warehouse and keep two keys to enter and exit the warehouse.The defendant's duty is to monitor the import, export, storage, propose handling of seized illegal evidence; sign and seal the warehouse door.
In April 2017, due to personal spending needs and needing money to pay off debt, Hoang came up with the idea of taking ivory from the warehouse to sell for money and discussed with Cuong, asking him to find and introduce a buyer.
Hoang paid the brokerage fee and asked Cuong to buy fake ivory and deliver it to him, put it in the warehouse instead, to avoid detection. Cuong introduced Dien to Hoang, and agreed to buy and sell each kilogram of ivory for seven million dong.
The prosecution alleges that Hoang broke the warehouse seal, took the ivory, put it in a backpack and took it out to sell to Dien. Then, based on the sample, quantity and weight of the ivory, Cuong ordered fake ivory made of wood and plastic.In the next transaction, Cuong brought the fake ivory backpack to Hoang, exchanged it for the real one, and sold it to Dien.
From April to May 2017, Hoang took advantage of his position to take nearly 240 kg of ivory and more than six kg of rhino horn to sell to Dien, receiving a total of more than 2.9 billion VND, and Cuong was paid 200 million VND.
In the case, the court determined that Hoang was the mastermind and Cuong was an accomplice.