A Vietnam appeals court confirmed death sentences for six members of a notorious criminal gang yesterday in a case that has enthralled the public with tales of seamy activities and high-level corruption.
The court rejected appeals by gang leader Truong Van Cam and five gang members, all facing death by firing squad, who had been jailed for colluding with government officials.
"The death sentence announced by the lower court is appropriate," said presiding judge Bui Ngoc Hoa, referring to Cam.
Those whose death sentences are upheld have seven days to appeal for a presidential pardon. Cam's lawyer, Nguyen Dang Trung, said during a break in proceedings that his client had already prepared an appeal.
Cam, clad in a grey and white striped prison outfit, showed little emotion. Before the session started, he smiled wanly at reporters allowed into the courtroom for pictures but said nothing.
In an unexpected move, the court said it would grant leniency to Tran Mai Hanh, former head of the state-run Voice of Vietnam Radio, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail, fined US$8,500 and banned from public office for five years.
Hanh, one of 20 state-linked defendants, was accused of accepting bribes to write articles to sway opinion in favor of the gang boss. He is a former member of the Communist Party's powerful Central Committee.
Citing his contributions to Vietnam resistance movements and to "the cause of journalism" as well as an undisclosed illness, the court said it would "reduce a part of the punishment." Details were yet to be issued.
But the court granted no leeway to Bui Quoc Huy, former vice minister of police, who got four years in jail and is banned from serving in government for three years.
The Nam Cam gang was responsible for a 15-year crime spree in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's biggest city and southern commercial hub. The gang operated karaoke lounges and gambling dens and was accused of attacks on rival groups.
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