On 17/3, the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Court sentenced Nguyen Thanh Tho to 16 years in prison for property embezzlement. The sentencing followed a plea from Phan Xuan Buu, Director of Thuan Phat Electronic Equipment Development Production-Trading Co., Ltd., who requested leniency and waived nearly 2,5 billion VND of the embezzled amount.
During the court proceedings, Director Buu detailed the defendant's family hardships, noting Tho's elderly, severely ill parents, young children, and a low-income wife. He appealed to the court for a reduced sentence for Tho. "The defendant is still young and has admitted his wrongdoing. I will not seek further compensation for the remaining amount," Buu stated, emphasizing the family's difficult situation.
Tho's family has already taken steps to compensate for the damages, providing two plots of land in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and Ho Chi Minh City, valued at approximately 2,7 billion VND. Additionally, Tho's brother contributed an extra 30 million VND towards restitution.
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Nguyen Thanh Tho at court. Photo: Hoang Nam |
The indictment outlined Tho's actions, which began in 2016 when he joined Thuan Phat Electronic Equipment Development Production-Trading Co., Ltd. as a sales employee, responsible for sales and customer payment collection. Despite not having a formal employment contract, he received a monthly salary ranging from 15 to 50 million VND. By the end of 2021, the company appointed him sales manager, granting him authority to approve and manage contracts, sales transactions, and cash collections.
From 2020 until early 2023, when his activities were uncovered, Tho systematically collected funds from about 50 customers across various provinces and cities. The individual amounts ranged from tens to hundreds of millions of VND. To conceal the embezzlement, Tho directed customers to transfer payments into the bank accounts of two acquaintances. These acquaintances, unaware of the illicit nature of the transactions, then transferred the money back to Tho.
The company detected a significant loss in sales revenue in early 2023. Consequently, Thuan Phat terminated Tho's employment and reported the incident to the authorities for investigation.
Hoang Nam
