On the afternoon of 8/9, after several days of trial and deliberation, the High People's Court of Appeals in Ho Chi Minh City accepted the appeal of Le Anh Xuan, the owner of the An Phu karaoke bar where 32 people died in a fire, reducing his sentence from 8 years to 6 years for violating fire safety regulations.

Defendant Le Anh Xuan, the owner of the burned karaoke bar, at the first-instance trial in October 2024. Photo: Phuoc Tuan

The sentences of defendants Pham Quoc Hung and Vu Truong Son (both former officers of the Binh Duong Province Police Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue) were reduced from 7 to 6 years and from 5 years and 6 months to a 3-year suspended sentence, respectively.

Nguyen Thanh Luan, director of Thai Binh Limited Liability Company, also received a reduced suspended sentence (originally 5 years).

Although he did not appeal, Nguyen Van Vo (former police captain of the Thuan An City Police Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting) had his sentence reduced from 4 years to the time served (2 years, 11 months, and one day).

The court reduced the sentences after acknowledging the defendants' efforts in compensating the victims' families. Xuan paid over one billion dong.

The court rejected the appeal of former captain Pham Thi Hong, but also reduced her sentence from 7 years and 6 months to 6 years for her contribution to compensating the victims' families.

According to the judging council, Hong's appeal claiming she wasn't involved in the karaoke bar's fire safety system installation contradicted her claim that there were signs of an omitted offender in the case. Moreover, based on the defendants' testimonies and documents, the court determined that Hong's appeal was "without merit."

Defendant Pham Thi Hong at the first-instance trial in October 2024. Photo: Phuoc Tuan

The first-instance verdict determined that Xuan, as the owner, failed to conduct regular inspections and didn't detect the malfunctioning automatic fire safety system. The establishment also lacked on-site fire safety personnel. Defendants Son, Hung, and Vo, as managing officers responsible for approval, acceptance, and inspection, were negligent in their duties, allowing the bar to operate without meeting safety requirements, leading to the fire on the evening of 6/9/2022, which resulted in particularly serious consequences.

The fire originated from a short circuit in the electrical wiring installed in the ceiling of the second floor of the An Phu karaoke bar. The fire spread to surrounding materials and quickly engulfed the entire building. Approximately 60 people, including guests and staff, were inside at the time. As the fire intensified, some escaped to the rooftop, while others awaited rescue.

After nearly a day, firefighters contained the blaze, but 32 people died. The survivors managed to escape or were rescued, with 17 suffering injuries. The forensic examination concluded that the fire was caused by the establishment's unsafe electrical and fire safety systems.

Hai Duyen