The Hà Nội Superior People’s Court yesterday held a meeting to publicly apologise to Vũ Ngọc Dương for giving him a wrong sentence of 30 months in jail. — Photo congly.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội Superior People’s Court yesterday held a meeting to publicly apologise to Vũ Ngọc Dương for giving him a wrong sentence of 30 months in jail.

Dương, 30, living at 232 Khâm Thiên Street, Thổ Quan Ward, Đống Đa District, was wrongly sentenced for “abusing trust to appropriate properties”.

Representatives of municipal judicial agencies, the city People’s Committee and People’s Council attended the meeting.

Dương will receive compensation for physical and spiritual damages. The Appeal Court of Hà Nội Superior People’s Court is responsible for the compensation following the Law on State Compensation Liability.

In 2010, Bùi Văn Chính, director of Đông Anh humanitarian job orientation and vocational training centre in Hà Nội, denounced Dương for abusing his volunteer position at the centre to appropriate VNĐ100 million (US$4,340), which was donated by other companies to the centre.

Following reports from three witnesses — Nguyễn Văn Hiền, Dương Diệu Thu, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Vân — who have benefits and responsibilities in the case, and upon inspection of hand-written letters and signatures on related documents, Dương was prosecuted for “abusing trust to appropriate properties”.

In the first hearing in 2012, the Hà Nội People’s Court sentenced Dương to 30 months in jail for “abusing trust to appropriate properties”, according to Article 140 of the Penal Code.

Dương then submitted an appeal, claiming his innocence.

At the appeal court in September 2013, the Court of Appeal of the Hà Nội People’s Supreme Court dismissed Dương’s appeal.

Dương then submitted another appeal asking for a re-inspection of the letters and signatures.

An investigative body of the Supreme People’s Procuracy found that Dương’s hand-written letters and signatures were faked by Dương Diệu Thu, Dương’s aunt and Nguyễn Thị Thanh Vân.

From April 2010 to May 2011, they faked the hand-written letters and signatures of Dương on documents and then denounced Dương for appropriating money from the centre.

In early 2015, the Supreme People’s Court decided to cancel the first instance and appeal verdicts on Dương.

In May 2015, an investigation started on Dương Diệu Thu and her accomplices for faking documents.

Dương Diệu Thu and Nguyễn Thị Thanh Vân received a sentence of 40 months in jail each for slandering and counterfeiting seals and documents of agencies and organisations. 

In March 2016, the investigative body of the Hà Nội Police decided to cancel the investigation into Dương due to evidence confirming that Dương did not commit the charge of “abusing trust to appropriate properties”.

Based on regulations of the Law on State Compensation Liability, judicial agencies affirmed that Dương will receive a public apology and compensation for the wrongful conviction.  — VNS