On May 16, the High People’s Court in Hanoi concluded the appellate trial of former National Assembly deputies Luu Binh Nhuong and Le Thanh Van, along with former legal specialist Nguyen Van Vuong, upholding most of the original sentences handed down by the lower court.

The court announced a reduction in the prison sentence of Luu Binh Nhuong to 12 years from the previous 13 years. He received 3 years for “extortion” and 9 years for “abuse of power to influence others for personal gain.”

Nhuong had filed an appeal requesting leniency but did not contest his conviction.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the appeals of Le Thanh Van and Nguyen Van Vuong, upholding their original sentences. Van will serve 7 years and Vuong 14 years, both for “abuse of power to influence others for personal gain.”

During the hearing, Nhuong expressed remorse and requested the court to consider a further reduction in his sentence. Vuong continued to assert his innocence and asked the appellate panel to reevaluate the case details, while Van also appealed for reconsideration of the circumstances but did not succeed.

The initial verdict, issued by the Thai Binh Provincial People’s Court, sentenced:

Luu Binh Nhuong: 3 years for extortion and 10 years for abuse of power (total 13 years)
Le Thanh Van: 7 years for abuse of power
Nguyen Van Vuong: 14 years for abuse of power
Pham Minh Cuong (aka Cuong “Quat”) and Vu Dang Phuong: 7 and 6 years, respectively, for extortion

Following the verdict, Van and Vuong both filed appeals claiming wrongful conviction, while Nhuong sought a sentence reduction, which has now been partially granted.

Pham Cong