At the appeal hearing for 21 defendants in the “repatriation flight” case on December 25 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The High-level People’s Court in Hanoi on December 25 opened anappeal hearing for 21 defendants in the “repatriation flight” case.
As many as 21 defendants filed for an appeal, including To Anh Dung, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Pham Trung Kien, former secretary of a Deputy Minister of Health; and Hoang Van Hung, former investigation officer at the Ministry of Public Security.
Before the appeal hearing, Hung, who had got a life sentence for the charge of fraudulent appropriation of assets but denied the charge, pleaded guilty and paid 18.8 billionVND (800,000 USD) in compensation.
On July 28, the 54 defendants in the case were handed prison terms with the highest being life imprisonment.
According to the first-instance judgment, amid the COVID-19outbreak, the Government ordered organising repatriation flights for overseasVietnamese. Specific tasks were assigned to the Government Office, the Ministryof Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries, and some municipal andprovincial People’s Committees.
The defendants had taken advantageof the COVID-19 pandemic to commit the crimes, which had occurred at manydifferent ministries, sectors, and localities. Most of the charges wereclassified as “particularly serious” and “particularly dangerous for society”.
The indictment read that under the Party and State’s policy,the arrangement of more than 1,000 flights to repatriate over 200,000Vietnamese citizens from 62 countries and territories was a demonstration ofthe State’s humanitarian policy. The purpose of the flights was good, but thispolicy was stained by degenerate officials, eroding its reputation in the eyesof the people and the international community./.
The People’s Court of Hanoi on July 11 opened the first-instance trial of 54 defendants involved in the "repatriation flight" case with different charges.
The People’s Court of Hanoi opened the first-instance trial of the so-called "repatriation flight" case on July 11. The case has attracted attention of Party and State leaders as well as the public as it involves a number of individuals who abused their positions and power for their personal gains in the organisation of flights bringing Vietnamese citizens back home amidst the spreading COVID-19
A representative of the Supreme People’s Procuracy on July 17 proposed sentences for each of 54 defendants in the case of “repatriation flights” at the ongoing first-instance trial held by the People’s Court of Hanoi.
The Hanoi People’s Court on July 28 announced sentences for each of the 54 defendants in the case of “repatriation flights” after three weeks of trial and deliberation.
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At the appeal hearing for 21 defendants in the “repatriation flight” case on December 25 (Photo: VNA) 
