VietNamNet Bridge - Current and former officials have told VietNamNet and other papers that the public outcry against the sentence levied against a beloved farm co-op manager gives ample grounds for central authorities to reconsider the verdict in the light of practices that prevailed in an earlier era.

Ba Suong at the appeals court on November 19.

(The Can Tho City Appeals Court on November 19 upheld a lower court verdict against Tran Ngoc Suong, popularly known as Chi [Elder Sister] Ba Suong, the much-decorated former manager of a famously successful collective farm, on a charge of running an ‘off-the-books’ welfare fund. See Ex-farm boss on slush-fund charge; NA Committee may intervene in labour hero case)

Speaking to the press on November 25, a National Assembly vice chairman, Uong Chu Luu, said “the Appeals Court has ruled; the public still disagrees. Such an unusual case must be reviewed at a higher level.”

Luu, a former Minister of Justice, said he has been following the case of the unregistered welfare fund at Song Hau Farm closely.  He said that before sentencing Suong 8 years in jail for setting up slush fund, the court ought to consider mitigating details such as Ba Suong’s good record and her achievements at work.

Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong confirmed that the Office of the People’s Procurator has opened a review of the record of the case. Speaking as a National Assembly deputy, I see something that didn’t go smoothly in applying the law in this case,” Cuong said. 

The Minister said that it is wrong to judge events that took place in a different era by present day legal standards. “By our law, the head of the People’s Supreme Procuracy and the presiding judge of the People’s Supreme Court have the right to appeal against the verdict,” he said.

“Speaking personally, I completely agree to delay enforcing the verdict. I don’t know Miss Suong personally but through the media, I feel that she is a respected woman,” the minister added.

The Party Central Committee Secretary in charge of public affairs, Ha Thi Khiet, told VietNamNet that particularly because public disapproval of the verdict has daily grown stronger, she has paid close attention to Suong’s case.

“I am not taking a position on the judgement against Ba Suong but I hope the central legal agencies will very carefully review the case,” Khiet said. She agreed that Suong’s record of service and the social context of the time ought to be factored into the judgment to reach a result that is reasonable, compassionate and in accordance with the law.

Speaking as one who has known the former collective farm chairman for many years, Khiet added that “I think she maintained that fund only to help the farm’s farmers and the success of the farm.”

Asked about the 110 people who have volunteered to serve Suong’s jail time, Khiet said “I have asked the Can Tho City’s Public Affairs Committee to consider this development. 

“We have to be very cautious in this case,” she added.  “Sending a hero like Sister Ba Suong to jail isn’t just regrettable -- it’s just not done,” she added.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc, who’s also a member of the National Assembly, said that the Suong case reflects changes in society and of values and, these are the natural essence of the laws. This case must be considered in its historical process, not according to the current situation.

“In this case I pay attention to a detail that is not yet confirmed: behind this case there may be something to do with land. I’m not saying I believe the rumour that Can Tho City wants to take land of the Song Hau farm for residential area projects, but I have seen that in contemporary Vietnam, land issues always lie behind every movement of the society,” he said.

“That’s why it’s essential to get to the bottom of this matter. If it was really like that, the organs of justice must resolutely follow the truth wherever it leads. We have to look at the whole process, in particular the changes in land [rights] that relate to this case. In that way, we’ll get to the bottom of the matter.”

“When there have been changes in the very fabric of the law, what is the responsibility of the State? Merit and guilt must both be made clear. They are always connected, because a person’s life is an unfolding process.

“What is it that causes a person of merit to become a person of guilt? This question must be answered.  We must look humanely at this woman of over 60 years, without a house of her own, a husband or a child,” Quoc said. “This isn’t just a court decision, it’s also a social phenomenon.”

Asked about reports that the Can Tho Party Committee instructed local agencies to prosecute against Suong, Quoc said that, if true, would be unacceptable.  “We should believe in the law agencies at the central level. They will clarify this thing.  When many central agencies join this case, I believe that it will become clear,” Quoc said.

Presiding Judge of the People’s Supreme Court Truong Hoa Binh told the press on November 26 that the People’s Supreme Court has asked the Can Tho judicial authorities to provide the documents of the Song Hau farm for research.

Knowing that the public is anxious about this case, Binh emphasized that this case must be carefully studied before its final disposition. He also commented that in view of the current health situation of Tran Ngoc Suong, he may delay the enforcement of the sentence made by the Can Tho Court.

At the People’s Supreme Procuracy, its chief, Tran Quoc Vuong said that he would also review the case and study evidence provided by some newspapers. This process will not take long, he added.

At the Central Steering Board for Combating Corruption, its office director, Vu Tien Chien, said that he highly appreciated Ba Suong’s life work. The local authorities ought to take her contribution to society into consideration, he said, but the case must be judged under strict procedures of the laws.

NA deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet said “I can’t comment on the verdict but I think the court should reconsider the case. It’s remarkable because over 100 people signed a document saying that they are willing to go to jail in place of Tran Ngoc Suong.” Deputy Thuyet continued that he was surprised by a statement by two Can Tho City deputies. “I think that in a case like this, they should express a little compassion,” Thuyet said. “To my mind, it’s important to find out if there are some hidden reasons behind the judgment against Suong.”    

Meanwhile, Huynh Van Tiep, the deputy chief of the Can Tho City NA delegation, told VietNamNet that when the legislative session finishes (this week), the Can Tho NA delegation will work with local agencies related to the judgement of the Song Hau farm case.

Can Tho Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Tan Quyen told the press that he had no opinion about this case because it was a Can Tho police matter.

However, the Can Tho Party Committee was consulted at the beginning.

Document No. 91-TB/VPTU signed by Can Tho Party Committee vice secretary Pham Thanh Van on March 20, 2008 reads: “After asking the opinion of the Party Committee Secretary [Nguyen Tan Quyen], Deputy Party Secretary Pham Thanh Van comes to the following conclusion . . . .”

PV

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