Reputed crime boss in Vietnam convicted
HO CHI MINH CITY - A Vietnamese court convicted a major organized crime kingpin on Wednesday in a case seen as a test of the
communist government's fight against corruption.
Truong Van Cam, better known as Nam Cam, was found guilty of murder, assault, gambling, running gambling dens, sheltering
criminals, bribery and helping others to flee the country.
He is among 154 defendants put on trial for mob charges. Several Communist Party officials are among them.
"With the seven crimes committed, Truong Van Cam is the most dangerous element to society. His crimes have caused fears
among the public," said Judge Pham Luong Toan.
Toan said Nam Cam netted $153,300 in gambling proceeds from 1999 to 2001 and used $26,500 from that stash to bribe law
enforcement officials to cover up his crimes. Toan said Nam Cam also distributed $33,400 in bribes to government officials through
his large ring of associates.
Nam Cam's sentencing was scheduled for Thursday. He and five other defendants could face a firing squad if given the maximum
penalty.
While sitting in the front row of the main courtroom, the silver-haired Nam Cam, 56, looked frail and tired, slumped over in his
green-and-white striped jumpsuit and handcuffs.
"This trial has been impartial and free from prejudices," Nam Cam said to a group of foreign journalists surrounding him.
Nam Cam is accused of running a criminal empire complete with gambling dens, hotels and restaurants that fronted for brothels. He
was reportedly so well connected to police in Ho Chi Minh City that authorities from other provinces had to be brought in to arrest
him.
The trial, which started Feb. 25, also involves several former high-ranking officials, including a vice minister of public security, the
director of state radio and a vice national chief prosecutor.
Also Wednesday, Tran Mai Hanh, the former head of state radio, was found guilty of receiving bribes of $6,000, plus an Omega
watch valued at $2,500. Pham Sy Chien, a former deputy national chief prosecutor, was found guilty of receiving a stereo worth
$1,800.
The two men allegedly had sought Nam Cam's early release in the 1990s from a labor camp where he was serving time on earlier
charges.
Bui Quoc Huy, who was Ho Chi Minh City's police chief from 1996-2001, was found guilty of negligence for allowing Nam Cam's
illegal gambling business to flourish. He was fired last year from his post as vice minister of public security.
Nam Cam's wife, Phan Thi Truc, was found guilty of giving bribes, loan sharking and sheltering criminals, which carries up to 20
years in jail.
His son-in-law and daughter also were found guilty of giving bribes. He could be sentenced to life in jail, while she faces up to 20
years behind bars.
They are all expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
The government has billed the trial as an example of how Vietnam is opening up to scrutiny from the media. Foreign press, however,
were only permitted to cover the opening and closing days of the trial from an adjoining room with closed circuit television.
By Margie Mason - The Associated Press - June 4, 2003
Vietnam mafia boss gets death penalty
Vietnam's reigning mafia boss was given the death sentence yesterday in
the dramatic conclusion to a trial intended to showcase the communist
government's resolve in fighting corruption.
Truong Van Cam, 56, known as Nam Cam, will face a firing squad after
being convicted of murder, bribery and five other crimes in the country's
largest-ever criminal trial.
The case, with a total of 155 defendants, has been viewed as a chance for
the government to publicly clean house in a country ranked as one of the
most corrupt in the world.
Nam Cam was convicted of all seven counts, but presiding Judge Bui
Hoang Danh said he was given the death penalty for murder and bribery.
Nam Cam stood with his hands clasped behind him and showed no
emotion as the sentence was read in the Ho Chi Minh City court. A police
officer placed his hand on the gangster's shoulder to comfort him.
His defense attorney Nguyen Dang Trung said he plans to appeal the
verdict and sentence, which were widely expected.
"He is well prepared spiritually to receive this," said Trung during an earlier
interview.
Five other gang members were also given death sentences for murdering
three people, including Nam Cam's rival gang member.
Nam Cam, a former dock worker and veteran of the South Vietnamese
army, had been accused of heading a vast criminal empire whose influence
extended into the ranks of the Communist Party.
Over his decade-long reign in Vietnam's largest city, he bribed dozens of
law enforcement and government officials to protect his network of
gambling dens, hotels and restaurants that fronted for brothels.
The highly publicized case, with its sordid exploits of murder, vice and
bribery, has riveted the country since his arrest in December 2001 for
ordering a hit on a rival gang member.
On Wednesday, the silver-haired Nam Cam had been found guilty of all the
charges against him, which also included assault, gambling, running
gambling dens, sheltering criminals, and helping others to flee the country.
The trial had publicly exposed the close links between organized crime and
the ruling Communist Party, embarrassing a leadership that has prided
itself on its anti-corruption stance.
The trial's three highest ranking Communist Party officials also received
their sentences. Pham Sy Chien, a former deputy national chief
prosecutor, was given six years in jail while Tran Mai Hanh, the former
head of state radio, was given 10 years. Both were found guilty of receiving
bribes to help Nam Cam get an early release from a labor camp in the mid
1990s.
Bui Quoc Huy, former vice minister of public security, got four years behind
bars for turning a blind eye to Nam Cam's dealings when Huy was the
police chief of Ho Chi Minh City.
All three former officials were banned from taking government jobs for up to
five years.
The Associated Press - June 6, 2003
|