On the afternoon of 5/1, after a one-day trial, the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City (TAND TP HCM) sentenced Kim Tae Hyung, 48, and Cha Jin Young, 50, both South Korean nationals, to five years in prison for pimping and three years for bribery.
Combining the sentences, each defendant will serve a total of 8 years in prison and pay an additional fine of 30 million VND.
Lee Hyun Jun, a South Korean national, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Loan were each sentenced to three years in prison, while Le Tan Thanh received two years, five months, and 14 days, equivalent to his pre-trial detention period, for pimping.
Bui Thi Phuong Dung, 36, residing in Hai Phong, received seven years in prison, and Bui Duy Ha, 41, received three years for property fraud. They were convicted of accepting money from Cha Jin Young under the false pretense of "fixing" operational permits to avoid inspections.
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Defendants Cha Jin Young and Kim Tae Hyung (front row) alongside other defendants in court today. Photo: Binh Nguyen |
Defendants Cha Jin Young and Kim Tae Hyung (front row) alongside other defendants in court today. Photo: Binh Nguyen
In court today, Kim Tae Hyung and Cha Jin Young admitted that around 11/2022, they jointly invested in opening a restaurant on Bui Thi Xuan Street, formerly in District 1 and now part of Pham Ngu Lao Ward.
To increase revenue, the two instructed Loan and Lee Hyun Jun, the restaurant manager and a South Korean national, to arrange female staff members to provide sex services to Korean customers dining at the establishment.
According to the agreement, prostitution fees were disguised on invoices as "Green jacket 17," priced at 3,8 million VND per person per night. Hotel rental costs were listed as "Combo hai san lon" (large seafood combo), priced at one million VND per room.
On 19/7, Lee Hyun Jun asked Loan to arrange two female staff members for two Korean men, totaling 7,6 million VND. Loan then contacted Le Tan Thanh, 44, to book two hotel rooms in Ben Nghe Ward. Thanh, despite knowing the rooms were for prostitution, agreed to assist.
Cha Jin Young also testified that when the Gallery restaurant initially opened, it lacked several legal procedures. He sought Bui Thi Phuong Dung, whose husband is Korean, to "fix" the necessary documents.
Dung and Bui Duy Ha then provided false information, promising they could ensure the restaurant would not be inspected by authorities. Trusting them, Kim Tae Hyung and Cha Jin Young repeatedly gave money to Dung, totaling 840 million VND. Of this amount, Dung transferred 441 million VND to Ha and paid him 30 million VND for his "arrangements."
Dung and Ha claimed to have given the money to several police officers. However, investigators determined that the two had no ability to influence any authorities as promised and instead misappropriated the entire sum.
