The High-Level People’s Court in Hanoi lowered the prison sentence for Phan Van Anh Vu, who was found guilty of “deliberately disclosing state secrets”, from nine to eight years at an appeal trial on October 31.


{keywords}

Defendants Phan Van Anh Vu (front, first, left), Phan Huu Tuan (front, centre) and Nguyen Huu Bach (front, first, right) at the first-instance trial on July 30


The defendant, also known as Vu “Nhom”, is a 43-year-old resident in Hai Chau district, the central city of Da Nang.

At the first-instance trial on July 30, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for the offence, which is regulated in Article 337 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Two others were also found to have committed the same offence. Phan Huu Tuan, born in 1955, a former Deputy General Director at the Ministry of Public Security, residing in Tay Ho district of Hanoi, was given a seven-year imprisonment. 

Meanwhile, Nguyen Huu Bach, born in 1963, a former officer of the ministry, residing in Hoang Mai district of Hanoi, was sentenced six years in jail.

After the first-instance trial, Vu appealed against his verdict, saying that he had committed the offence unintentionally.

At the appeal trial, the high-level court considered the aggravating and mitigating circumstances and accepted part of his appeal. They decided to uphold the offence of “deliberately disclosing state secrets” and give him an eight-year prison sentence.

Aside from this offence, Vu also faces several other charges, including “tax evasion”, “abusing position and power while performing duties”, and “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing loss and wastefulness”, which will be judged in other trials.–VNA