Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

• July 30, 2018 19:29

In the approximately 10-minute sentencing session, the Hanoi People's Court announced that defendant Phan Van Anh Vu was sentenced to 9 years in prison for the crime of intentionally revealing state secrets.

After a day of closed trial, on the afternoon of July 30, the Hanoi People's Court read the verdict publicly, determining that Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu (Vu "Nhom", 43 years old)and two former police officers committed the same crimeIntentionally revealing state secrets,according to Article 337 of the Penal Code 2015.

Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Mr. Phan Huu Tuan (63 years old, former Lieutenant General, former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Intelligence, Ministry of Public Security) was sentenced to 7 years and Nguyen Huu Bach (55 years old, former officer of the Ministry of Public Security) received a sentence of 6 years.

The sentencing lasted about 10 minutes, with the three defendants’ backgrounds and sentences being read out. Reporters watched on television. The verdict was not announced. Defendant Phan Van Anh Vu, wearing a purple-blue plaid shirt, chatted with the person next to him before the court announced the verdict.

As soon as the trial ended, defendant Vu was led out the back door to a police van.

Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu at Hanoi People's Court. Photo:VNA.

Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu is a famous real estate tycoon in Da Nang. On December 21, 2017, Mr. Vu was prosecuted by the Security Investigation Agency (Ministry of Public Security) for intentionally revealing state secrets. On January 4, Mr. Vu was brought back to Hanoi after many days of hiding from a wanted warrant in Singapore with three passports.

Regarding Mr. Phan Van Anh Vu, on July 28, the Politburo determined: Lieutenant General, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Thanh arbitrarily signed the decision to allow Mr. Vu to join the delegation going abroad and requested to issue a diplomatic passport to Mr. Vu that was not the right subject or standard.

According to the investigation agency, Mr. Vu is also a defendant in a number of other cases, including the case of violations in the purchase and sale of public real estate in Da Nang and many other localities.

Crime of intentionally disclosing state secrets; crime of appropriating, buying, selling or destroying state secret objects or documents

1. Anyone who intentionally discloses state secrets, appropriates, buys, sells or destroys state secret objects or documents, if not in the cases specified in Article 110 of this Code, shall be sentenced to imprisonment of 2-7 years.

2. Committing a crime in one of the following cases shall be punishable by imprisonment for 5-10 years:

a) Top secret state secrets;

b) Abusing position and power;

c) Causing damage to national defense, security, foreign affairs, economy and culture.

3. Committing a crime in one of the following cases shall be punishable by imprisonment for 10-15 years:

a) Organized;

b) State secrets of top secret level;

c) Committing the crime 2 times or more;

d) Causing damage to the political regime, independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

4. Offenders may also be fined from 10 to 100 million VND, banned from holding positions, practicing a profession or doing certain jobs from 1 to 5 years.