On 18/7, Phuc, 71, chairman of Phuc Phong Gia Lai Agriculture and Forestry Company, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison by the Gia Lai Provincial People's Court for destroying forests. His accomplices, Luc Van Khoa, 55, and Le Van Tuyen, 38, received sentences of two years and six months, and two years and four months respectively for the same crime.
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Le Hoang Phuc (with a cane) and two other defendants in court. Photo: Ngoc Oanh |
In 2017, Phuc Phong Gia Lai Agriculture and Forestry Company, chaired by Phuc, applied to lease land for forest plantation. During the survey process, a portion of natural forest was misidentified. Authorities allege that despite not yet receiving a land lease decision from the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee (PPC), Phuc Phong Company cleared the undergrowth in preparation for planting. Phuc directed Khoa and Tuyen to clear an area beyond the permitted scope, encroaching upon 30,000 m2 of natural forest despite warnings from the Nam Song Ba Forest Protection Management Board.
Authorities confirmed that over 101 m3 of various timber species were illegally logged, resulting in damages exceeding 365 million VND.
In August 2023, the Krong Pa District People's Court initially sentenced the defendants. All three appealed the verdict. The Gia Lai Provincial People's Court heard the first appeal in December 2023 and returned the case for further investigation. Following a second trial in February 2025, the defendants again appealed.
At the appeal hearing on 14/7, the defense lawyer argued that procedural violations during the investigation led to inaccuracies in the case file. The lawyer claimed the defendants acted based on a map approved by competent authorities and requested the appellate court to summon representatives from the Gia Lai PPC and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, or to return the case for re-investigation.
After four days of deliberation, the appellate court upheld the original sentences, stating that the lower court had correctly determined the nature and severity of the crime. The court found that the map used by the defendants had not been approved by the relevant authorities, and the afforestation project had not received a land lease decision. The court dismissed the appeal due to the lack of new evidence or circumstances presented during the appeal hearing. In addition to the prison sentences, the defendants were also ordered to compensate the Nam Song Ba Forest Protection Management Board over 365 million VND.
Tran Hoa