Phan Van Anh Vu trial to begin on July 30

July 25, 2018 | 09:04

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At the end of July Hanoi People’s Court will start the closing trial for the case of Phan Van Anh Vu and other defendants charged with “deliberately disclosing state secrets”.

Phan Van Anh Vu

According to Article 25 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2015, for special cases involved in state secrets, national traditions, protection of persons aged below 18 or personal privacy as per litigants’ rational requests, a court may try in closed session but must pronounce its judgments publicly.

43-year-old Phan Van Anh Vu (also known as Vu Nhom) is a well-known real estate giant in the central city of Danang. On December 21, 2017, Vu Nhom was prosecuted for the charges of “deliberately disclosing state secrets” (Article 263 of 1999 Penal Code). On January 4, he was taken back to Hanoi after spending tens days hiding in Singapore with three passports.

Three months later, the Ministry of Public Security’s (MoPS) investigation agency announced the arrest of Phan Huu Tuan (former deputy general director of the MoPS’ General Department of Intelligence) who is now retired and Nguyen Huu Bach (former security officer) for the same charge of “deliberately disclosing state secrets”.

According to the investigation agency, Vu is also defendant in another case related to public land and property in Danang and other locations. In this case, the MoPS has already prosecuted Tran Van Minh (former Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee in 2006-2011) and Van Huu Chien (former Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee in 2011-2014) for the same charges of “Offences against regulations on the management and use of state-owned property that lead to losses or wastefulness” (Article 219) and “Offences against regulations on land management” (Article 229 of 2015 Criminal Code).

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