US embassy cable - 04HANOI956

UNCLAS HANOI 000956 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, SOCI, VM, DPOL 
SUBJECT:  DEPUTY AG MINISTERS GET OFF ON APPEAL 
 
REF:  03 HANOI 3156 
 
1.  (U)  Summary.  The suspension of jail sentences of two 
former deputy Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development 
(MARD) by the Hanoi Court of Appeals on April 5 will 
undermine public credibility in the GVN's determination to 
stem official corruption, even though the Court upheld the 
death sentence of the principal defendant, who ran a MARD 
corporate subsidiary.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U)  According to media reports, the Hanoi Court of 
Appeals on April 5 announced that it would uphold the death 
sentence of La Thi Kim Oanh, who had been convicted in 
December (reftel) for embezzling several million US dollars 
worth of Vietnamese dong by getting MARD guarantees for bank 
loans, which were then "misappropriated."  Three other 
lengthy sentences against employees of the MARD subsidiary 
were also upheld, as was a lesser sentence against a MARD 
department director.  Ms. Oanh may still appeal to President 
Tran Duc Luong for clemency. 
 
3.  (U)  The Court, however, suspended the sentences of the 
two MARD deputy ministers -- Nguyen Quang Ha and Nguyen 
Thien Luan -- who had been convicted in the case, charged 
with dereliction of duty in having signed the guarantees 
improperly.  Instead, they will be on probation for four and 
three years, respectively.  Minister of Agriculture Le Huy 
Ngo testified on their behalf at the appeal hearing, but not 
at the original trial. 
 
4.  (U)  Comment:  This trial and appeal received extensive 
coverage in the local media, apparently to help convince the 
public of the GVN's determination to move aggressively 
against corruption and embezzlement even in official or semi- 
official ranks.  Despite the harshness of the sentence 
against Ms. Oanh, the whitewashing of the convictions of the 
two deputy ministers will undermine the credibility of the 
GVN's anti-corruption campaign, which has so far little 
seized public imagination or confidence.  Skepticism, at 
least among urban elites, remains high that the GVN or CPV 
would ever target senior officials for genuine punishment. 
BURGHARDT