Prison terms reduced for 13 in major gambling case

March 13, 2019 | 12:13
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Hanoi’s High-Level People’s Court has decided to reduce the prison sentences for 13 defendants involved in an online gambling ring, considered the biggest of its kind uncovered in Việt Nam so far.
prison terms reduced for 13 in major gambling case
Hanoi’s High-Level People’s Court has decided to reduce the prison sentences for 13 defendants involved in an online gambling ring, considered the biggest of its kind uncovered in Vietnam so far.- VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kien

On the last day of the eight-day appeal trial in Phu Tho Province yesterday, the court accepted part of the appeals of 13 defendants while rejecting those of the 23 others.

It upheld the rulings on the two masterminds behind the ring, Phan Sao Nam (former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the VTC Online Telecommunications Co. – VTC Online) and Nguyen Van Duong (former Chairman of the Members Council of the Hi-tech Security Development and Investment Co. – CNC).

Nam will spend five years behind bars for “organising gambling” and “laundering money”. Duong will serve 10 years for the same offences.

Although Nam and Duong did not appeal against the verdict of the first-instance trial, they were still brought to the appeal trial because they were included in the appeal lodged by the Phu Tho provincial People’s Procuracy.

The high-level court also upheld other rulings from the previous trial and rejected the Phu Tho procuracy’s appeal.

The Phu Tho People’s Court held the first trial in November 2018, trying 92 defendants charged with involvement in the online gambling ring.

The defendants also included former police generals Phan Van Vinh and Nguyen Thanh Hoa.

While Vinh got nine years in prison for “abusing position and power while performing duties”, Hoa received a 10-year sentence for the same offence. They did not appeal the rulings.

VNA

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