On the afternoon of 16/1, Nguyen Van Thanh, 46, a former member of a Nha Trang big bike club, was sentenced by the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Court to 19 years in prison. He was convicted of property fraud; forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations; and using forged seals or documents of agencies and organizations.
In connection with the case, three former Nha Trang City Police officers were also sentenced for dereliction of duty causing serious consequences. Mai Tran Chinh, 41, former deputy head of the traffic police and order team, received three years in prison. Tran Quang Hung, 57, former head, and Kieu Tien Dung, 54, former deputy head, each received one year and 6 months in prison.
Pham Huu Long, 41, residing in Quang Nam, received a 6-month suspended prison sentence for using forged seals or documents of agencies and organizations.
According to the indictment, Nguyen Van Thanh was a member of a big bike club in Nha Trang. Exploiting the demand for unique vehicles, from 2019 to 1/2023, Thanh purchased 9 motorcycles without clear origins or documents from individuals named Vak (identity unknown) and Le Chi Thanh. These vehicles included brands such as Harley Davidson, Honda Gold Wing, and BMW.
To legalize these vehicles, from 11/2022 to 1/2023, Thanh bought 10 sets of fake motorcycle documents from an individual named Huy (identity unknown, residing in TP HCM) for VND 40-60 million each set. He transferred money to an account designated by Huy.
With the documents, Thanh had an acquaintance declare and pay taxes at the Nha Trang City Tax Department. He then brought the vehicles and documents to the Nha Trang City Police Traffic and Order Team to register license plates and vehicle registration certificates. Subsequently, Thanh contacted notary offices in Phuoc Long ward to draft sales contracts to transfer the vehicles to multiple buyers.
Prosecutors determined that Thanh sold 4 vehicles to victims for VND 440 to 755 million each, defrauding them of over VND 2.5 billion.
The three former traffic police officers, Tran Quang Hung, Mai Tran Chinh, and Kieu Tien Dung, were found to have failed to inspect or detect irregularities in the documents Thanh submitted during vehicle registration. They advised and proposed issuing registration certificates for 9 illegal vehicles, causing damages exceeding VND 5 billion. Subsequently, the three voluntarily compensated over VND 2.5 billion.
Regarding Pham Huu Long, despite knowing his motorcycle was illegal, he still asked Thanh to create fake documents to obtain a registration certificate and license plate. He then withdrew the documents and transferred the vehicle's registration to a different region.
The Trial Panel stated that the actions of the defendants damaged the reputation of the involved agencies and violated the law, thus requiring strict penalties. The court also noted that Nguyen Van Tri, former deputy head of Nha Trang City Police, who approved and signed vehicle registration documents showing signs of dereliction of duty causing serious consequences, should be further investigated by authorities to avoid "missing any crimes."
In 6/2025, the case was brought to trial for four days. However, the court returned the case file, requesting the People's Procuracy to conduct additional investigations into several matters to avoid overlooking any crimes.
Bui Toan
