Former Vietnamese Police Officer Sentenced to 9 Years for Bribery in Illegal Sand Mining Case

A former police officer, Trinh Van Hung, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for bribery related to an illegal sand mining operation in the Con Ngu district of Ho Chi Minh City. The verdict follows a lengthy trial that also convicted other individuals involved in the scheme. Hung, a former official from the Ministry of Public Security’s Logistics Department, was found guilty of accepting a bribe of 400 million Vietnamese Dong (approximately $17,000 USD) in exchange for promising to ensure that the illegal sand mining vessels would face only administrative penalties rather than confiscation. The court determined that Hung, despite not knowing the individuals involved in the sand mining operation, promised to use his influence to secure favorable treatment for them. The trial also sentenced Truong Van Chinh, who operated the sand mining vessels, to 18 years in prison for violating regulations regarding resource extraction and offering bribes. Chinh was found to have profited between 13 and 24.6 billion Vietnamese Dong (approximately $550,000 – $1 million USD) from the illegal sand mining operation. The court determined that Chinh had bribed officials with 3 billion Vietnamese Dong (approximately $127,000 USD) to avoid severe penalties for the sand mining operation. Other individuals were also convicted and sentenced to varying terms for their roles in facilitating the illegal operation. The case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Vietnamese authorities in tackling corruption and illegal resource exploitation.