Nguyen Khac Thuy charged with child molesting
He was still charged with sexual abuse to a six-year-old child in a separate case.
The court said they considered extenuating facts. For example, Thuy was a party member, old, has many illnesses and was known for his work as head of the State Bank of Vietnam's branch in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. In the end, the court reduced Thuy's sentence from three years of imprisonment to 18 months on probation.
The People's Procuracy of Ba Ria-Vung Tay Province said on May 13 that they agreed to the proposed three years of imprisonment to Thuy and immediately sent an urgent report to the Superior People's Procuracy in HCM City and the Supreme People's Court to overturn the court’s decision. According to the provincial people's procuracy, both aggravating and extenuating facts were considered before the sentence was proposed.
The HCM City Children Protection Association also protested against the sentence and sent an official letter to the Superior People's Procuracy in HCM City.
Lawyer Tran Thi Ngoc Nu, a member of the association, said the court's sentence was not strict enough compared to the fact that Thuy violated the Law on Children and what he had done to several children. It cannot act as a deterrent to other criminals.
She went on to say that it's unacceptable if Thuy's sentence was reduced because he was a party member or old since as a party member, he must be a role model for others and must face stricter punishment. No child molester could enjoy probation due to their health, she said.
Lawyer Le Ngoc Luan or HCM City Bar Association agreed that the sentence was too light and the extenuating facts were not appropriate. "Anyone can appeal against the sentence within a year. If the Supreme People's Court also thinks that it's too light, they can request another trial," he said.
Luan said this was a warning sign of child abuse and that the authorities must have stricter measures to protect the children.
Nguyen Khac Thuy was charged with molesting a six-year-old child on the playground of the apartment buildings in 2012. After the child told her grandmother, she scolded Thuy but didn't do anything else since she didn't want her granddaughter was affected. He was also accused of molesting three other girls in 2014 but the investigating agencies only found enough evidence to charge him for two cases. The other cases are still being investigated.
Thuy pleaded not guilty in court.
