The Hanoi People’s Procuracy has proposed that Duong Tu Trong, the former deputy director of Hai Phong Police, be sentenced from 18 to 20 years in jail for helping his brother, ex-Vinalines chairman Duong Chi Dung, flee the country last year to avoid arrest for corruption.

The proposal was made by the prosecutor’s office on Tuesday, which was the first day of the trial opened by the Hanoi People’s Court. Ex-Colonel Trong, 52, and his six accomplices have been charged with “organizing other persons to flee abroad illegally,” for which they face sentences of 12 to 20 years in jail.   The prosecutor’s office proposed sentences of 5 to 18 years in jail for Trong’s accomplices.  While his accomplices pleaded guilty to the charge, Trong did not, said the prosecutor at the court. However, based on the results of the investigation and the testimonies of witnesses, the court has enough grounds to conclude that Trong was the mastermind of the plan for Dung to flee abroad, while Son, with support from the other defendants, organized and implemented the plan under Trong’s directions. According to the indictment, on the afternoon of May 17, 2012, Dung fled Vietnam after receiving a tip that he would be arrested and prosecuted. Appearing at court yesterday as a witness, Dung revealed that incumbent Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham Quy Ngo had telephoned him on the evening of May 17, saying that he had been prosecuted and was about to be arrested. Under the plan arranged by Trong, Dung was taken to Trong’s girlfriend’s father’s house in Hai Ha District, Quang Ninh Province. Dung was taken from Quang Ninh to Ho Chi Minh City on May 20. On the same day, Trong and Vu Tien Son, who was deputy head of the Social Crime Investigation Police Department under the Hai Phong Police at that time, flew from Hanoi to the city to direct efforts to help Dung flee Vietnam.

On May 23, 2012, Dung was taken by a car from HCMC Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh Province, where he was brought into Cambodia by a motorbike taxi. Dung then fled to Singapore, where he initiated procedures to fly to the US, but as he was wanted internationally, he was not allowed to immigrate to the US. Dung had to return to Singapore and on May 27, 2012, he returned to Cambodia to go into hiding. On September 4, 2012, Vietnamese police arrested Dung with help from their Cambodian counterparts and later extradited him to Vietnam. Three months later, on December 5, 2012, Son was seized. On March 22, 2013, Trong was arrested. At that time, he had been promoted to the deputy head of the Administrative and Social Order Management Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security. Besides Trong and Son, who are proposed to be sentenced to 17 or 18 years in jail, the five other defendants in the case are as follows: 1. Hoang Van Thang, 43, former head of the Environmental Crime Investigation Police Department under Hai Phong City Police    2. Dong Xuan Phong, 39, a former official at Hai Phong City Customs Department 3. Nguyen Trong Anh, 28, a former subordinate of Son’s 4. Tran Van Dung, 45, aka Dung “Bac Can,” a former underworld leader in Hai Phong 5. Pham Minh Tuan, 45, director of Bach Dang Enterprise in Hai Phong City With the exception of Tuan, who is proposed to be sentenced to 5-6 years in jail, all of the defendants are facing the same sentence of 6-7 years in jail.