VietNamNet Bridge - When the sixth trial sentenced Ms. Ngo Thi Thi, who is the former chief accountant of the Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee of Quang Nam Province, to 2 years in jail for embezzling VND4 million ($200), many people burst out laughing.

Thi was arrested on 30/3/2009 and was held in custody for 3 months and ten days. Since then, six trials took place within nearly four years. On September 11, the sixth trial ended with a 2-year prison sentence for the crime of embezzlement of over VND4.2 million ($200). The defendant stated to appeal to see justice.

This case has many strange details. In October 1999, Ms. Ngo Thi Thi began working at the Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee of Quang Nam Province as an assistant to the chief accountant - Mr. Tran Xuan Thuyen. In January 2002, Thi was appointed the chief accountant of the committee. She quitted job at the committee in March 2007.

When Thi worked at the Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee, local people knew Thi as a philanthropist and a rich woman who owned many businesses and plots of land in Tam Ky City.

In October 2007, Quang Nam Province Inspectorate inspected the management and use of funds at the Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee from 2004 to 2006.

The inspectorate later proposed to recall more than VND453 million ($23,000) from 12 individuals and businesses, including Ms. Ngo Thi Thi, as the chief accountant. However, the individuals involving in this case did not abide by the decision. In August 2008, the case was transferred to the police agency.

After over one year of investigating the case, on November 20, 2009, Quang Nam Police concluded that Thi embezzled over VND4.2 million of the total amount of over VND453 million. It is very strange that only Thi was arrested. Meanwhile, Quang Nam leaders instructed to not take criminal proceedings against Mr. Tran Dinh Mau, head of the Mountainous and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee and other officials of this committee for many reasons.

At the sixth trial on September 11, 2013, defendant Ngo Thi Thi asked the panel to quickly finish the case because she was very tired of attending court for many years.

At the court, defendant Ngo Thi Thi said she was not guilty so she refused to stand at the bar. When the judge asked the defendant “How many children do you have?” The defendant replied: “It is my own business so I do not answer!”

In the record of the defendant, it is noted that she has two children and is a married woman. But the investigating authorities did not know that after the bail, the defendant divorced and married the second time and had two more kids.

After six trials (many trials were delayed), the panel finally ended the case by passing two years' imprisonment for defendant Ngo Thi Thi for embezzling VND4.2 million ($200).

After the hearing, Thi said she would continue to appeal the verdict.

Answering VietNamNet that while the embezzlement case of only $200 but it took almost 4 years for the trial, the judge named Dinh Tan Long said this case is not complicated but this is an economic case, although the amounts of embezzlement is small but “we must have sufficient evidence to charge the defendant!”

Vu Trung