On 11/9, the An Giang provincial People's Court began the trial of Mot and Hang for property appropriation fraud.

According to the indictment, in 2021, while serving as the Phu Quoc city police chief, Mot met Hang and accepted her as his "adopted sister." The two then became involved in several cases related to forest land, including accepting to process land documents despite knowing it was impossible. Their actions built trust, inducing others to transfer money.

Hang is accused of receiving money from multiple victims, while Mot was identified as aiding or directly participating in some cases. In total, 4 victims transferred nearly 60 billion VND to Hang, and Mot received 8 billion VND. Hang is also accused of defrauding 6 other individuals of approximately 30 billion VND.

The An Giang provincial People's Court first brought the case to trial in April. Subsequently, the judging panel returned the dossier, requesting an additional investigation.

Defendants Le Van Mot (standing) and Nguyen Thi Hang in court on 11/9. *Photo: Duong Dong*

Key findings from the additional investigation

The additional investigation results found no basis to prove Hang transferred money to Mot as she had previously claimed.

Specifically, Hang stated she withdrew cash and gave it to Mot in his office, and also transferred funds to his associates. However, after confrontation and identification, the two individuals Hang identified as intermediaries denied receiving any money.

The investigation agency determined that, apart from Hang's testimony, no other evidence supported this claim. Therefore, there was no basis to assign responsibility to the two individuals.

Nevertheless, the People's Procuracy still determined that Mot assisted Hang in the case of processing land documents for Ms. Tran Thi My Trung.

According to the additional investigation, Mot knew Hang was not an official and lacked the authority to process documents. Despite this, he still built trust, leading Ms. Trung to sign contracts and transfer money. The total amount the two defendants were determined to have appropriated in this case was nearly 22 billion VND.

In other land sales, the investigation agency determined that Mot directly advertised, sent documents, and urged buyers to transfer money for two land plots measuring 10,000 square meters and 35,000 square meters. Hang participated as an accomplice in these transactions.

The amounts involved were determined to be 11 billion VND and 20 billion VND respectively, with the former police chief directly receiving 5 billion VND in the first case and 2.5 billion VND in the second.

Nguyen Thi Hang at the trial on 11/9. *Photo: Duong Dong*

Prosecutors: Victims trusted Mot's position and reputation

After two days of trial, on the afternoon of 11/9, the People's Procuracy stated that Mot, as the former Phu Quoc city police chief, was educated and knowledgeable about the law. He knew the land was state-managed and that issuing land use rights certificates to individuals was illegal, yet he collaborated with Hang to sell land and process certificates for the victims.

According to the People's Procuracy, the victims did not know Hang but sought out Mot due to their trust in his position and reputation. Initially, they transferred money to Mot, and only after being introduced did they transfer money to Hang.

The prosecution agency asserted that the actions of the two defendants provided sufficient grounds for indictment on charges of property appropriation fraud, totaling over 67.7 billion VND.

Regarding Hang, the People's Procuracy determined that some amounts received from victims were transferred by the defendant to relatives to legitimize them, providing sufficient grounds for an additional charge of money laundering. The prosecution also noted that Hang had previously committed crimes but showed no remorse, failing to learn from her past mistakes and continuing to commit offenses.

The People's Procuracy assessed the defendants' actions as particularly serious, infringing upon the property of many individuals and negatively impacting social security and order.

Consequently, the People's Procuracy recommended a sentence of 14-16 years in prison for Mot on charges of property appropriation fraud.

Hang was recommended for life imprisonment for property appropriation fraud, and 10-12 years in prison for money laundering; the combined sentence is life imprisonment.

Regarding civil liability, the People's Procuracy recommended that the two defendants be jointly responsible for compensating the victims over 67.7 billion VND.

The judging panel will announce the verdict after one week of deliberation.

Ngoc Tai