On the verge of “secret trial”, former Hanoi President Nguyen Duc Chung

The former president of Hanoi and three accomplices are about to go to court on charges of “appropriation of state secret documents”.

In court with Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, there was also a police officer and two people who worked closely with him in the Hanoi People’s Committee.

The four defendants were charged with “appropriation of secret state documents.”

The Hanoi court’s decision was made less than a week after Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong presided over a session with the content of urging the investigation and trial in the first instance of important cases and “public opinion” cases. and the interested public. “

It is not clear why there was a “secret trial” of this case and it appears to be an unprecedented case involving high-ranking state officials in such violations.

The hearing date of 11/12/2020 is exactly 4 months since Mr. Chung was suspended from work (August 11, 2020), Party activities suspended and has not yet expired for 4 months.

Mr. Chung, accused of “brain”, faces a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years under clause 3 of article 337 of the Penal Code.

Mr. Chung’s driver is Nguyen Hoang Trung and Secretary Nguyen Anh Ngoc, facing Clause 1, with a sentence of 2 to 7 years in prison as “helper”.

The media in Vietnam did not mention the penalty framework for “practitioner” Pham Quang Dung, a former Police Department officer who investigates economic crimes, corruption and smuggling (C03).

The prosecution says that Mr. Chung “approached” Mr. Dung after only one month since C03 implemented measures in the Nhat Cuong case, and that Mr. Dung “went to Mr. Chung’s home to exchange information. “. around the great trial of Nhat Cuong “.

The indictment also details how the “confidential document” was stolen by copying and sending it to Mr. Chung in connection with these defendants.

Defendant Nguyen Duc Chung is known to have four defense attorneys, while the other defendants each have a represented attorney.

It appears that the case of the “appropriation of secret State documents” has a more or less direct relationship with the second case of the three cases in which Mr. Chung is investigated, the case of “smuggling, violating the inheritance regulations” . mathematics has serious consequences; money laundering; the violation of the bidding rules has had serious consequences for the Nhat Cuong commercial and limited liability company. “

In addition to these two cases, Mr. Chung was also investigated for another case that “violates the regulations on the management and use of state property causing loss and waste” occurred at the Hanoi People’s Committee and related units. .

According to Vietnamese media, the indictment in the upcoming trial said that Mr. Chung and his wife, a businessman, are “people with interests and obligations related to the Nhat Cuong case.”

It is not clear whether there is any connection between this “seizure of state secret documents” case and the currently sought escape cases of many people from the Nhat Cuong Company.

Vietnamese media reported that “it has been confirmed that the defendant Nguyen Duc Chung admitted and reported criminal acts, repented of his repentance, and that the other defendants are also evaluated on their candid testimony.”

Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung was the youngest police general at the time of his promotion, at the age of 46, and was appointed chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee at the end of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s term.

Used to be a member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee. Before that, Mr. Chung was Secretary of the Party Committee, Director of the Hanoi Police.