Nguyễn Kim Hưng, 56, known as Hưng “kính”, at Hà Nội Long Biên wholesale market. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội People's Court will open a hearing next month against five people accused of running a parking racket at the capital city's Long Biên Market.

The accused include Nguyễn Kim Hưng, 56, aka Hưng “kính”, and his subordinates Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, Nguyễn Mạnh Long, Lê Thanh Hải and Dương Quốc Vương.

All five defendants are being prosecuted by the Hà Nội People's Procuracy for the crime of appropriating assets under Article 170, Criminal Code 2015.

Hưng took advantage of his position as head of a porter group at the market to let his subordinates force merchants to pay money to unload their cargo.

Each merchant had to pay from VNĐ250,000-300,000 (US$11-13) per vehicle each day. Some even had to pay as much as VNĐ100 million ($4,400) a year.

However, the investigation results showed that Hưng was not assigned as head of a porter group at the market.

Hưng and his accomplices returned part of the money they collected from merchants to the market's management board, and shared the rest between them.

During the investigation, Tiến, Hải, Long and Vương admitted that from January 1, 2018 to September 24, 2018, they shared a total of VNĐ46.4 million between them, but Hưng pleaded not guilty. — VNS