Vietnam gang leader loses appeal
An appeals court in Vietnam has
upheld death sentences passed
on one of the country's most
notorious gangsters, Truong
Van Cam, and five of his men.
The six face death by firing squad
for murder and other crimes.
Nam Cam (Fifth Orange), as he is
better known, was convicted of
ordering the killing of an
underworld rival and trying to
bribe state officials.
Asked before the verdict if he thought his death sentence would
be reduced, Nam Cam simply smiled.
He had been tried along with
more than 150 co-defendants,
including Vietnamese officials
who profited from his illicit
dealings.
Among them are the former
head of state radio who had
been a member of the
Communist Party's powerful
central committee, a disgraced
deputy chief prosecutor and a
former deputy police minister.
In his appeal, Nam Cam had
denied ordering the October
2000 killing of a rival, Dung Ha,
who controlled a vast crime
network in northern Vietnam.
"At first I admitted my
responsibility for the murder of Dung Ha because my lawyer said I
could then be eligible for clemency," he told the VnExpress online
newspaper.
"But I think the death penalty handed to me is unjust and so I
am appealing."
Altogether, 69 of the 155 original defendants appealed against
their sentences.
BBC News - October 30, 2003.
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