Former Food Safety Department Head Tran Viet Nga and her husband both broke down in tears as they delivered their final statements before the court’s sentencing. Nga “mustered all the remaining shreds of her dignity” to apologize, stating that every illicitly received dong was “like a knife cutting into the people’s trust.”
On the afternoon of January 9th, former Food Safety Department Head Tran Viet Nga held three sheets of paper as she delivered her final statement before the court, her voice choking at times because she had “been blinded” by money, causing the career and honor built over many years to collapse.
Her colleague, the former Department Head, and her husband, former Deputy Head Le Hoang, also cried as they expressed their remorse.
“Every illicitly received dong is like a knife cutting into the people’s trust”
Beginning her statement with a trembling voice, Nga admitted that “at this moment, no words can make up for the damage that has been caused.”
She explained that she stands before the court not only as a defendant but also as a daughter, a mother, and someone who was once the pride of her entire family and lineage.
“Looking back on my own journey, the defendant feels there is no pain more bitter, not only from the strict punishments of the law but also from the shattering of… The defendant has, with her own hands, lost the honor she spent a lifetime building, which was also the most precious thing she wanted to preserve and leave for her children,” she said, crying and wiping away tears.
Continuing her statement, Nga recounted many sleepless nights in detention, tormenting herself over “why, at the turning points of my life, was my judgment so clouded.”
The former female Department Head said she also spent many nights agonizing over the thought of her colleagues, her capable subordinates, who became entangled in the law due to her “incorrect guidance.” She admitted that in her role as Department Head, she should have had the responsibility to lead her subordinates, “to be a shield protecting them from wrongdoing, but failed to do so.”
“The defendant feels extremely pained and remorseful,” Nga said, bowing her head and sobbing.
“With all the remaining shreds of my dignity,” Nga apologized to the State, the People, and her colleagues. She also apologized to her family, “those who once considered me a source of pride, now having to bear psychological pressure and humiliation that, in my view, nothing can compensate for.”
“The defendant understands that every illicit dong I received is a knife cutting into the people’s trust in justice and integrity,” the former Department Head explained.
The former Department Head stated that her family had today submitted an additional 4.6 billion dong in restitution, not just in hopes of a reduced sentence but also so that “my conscience can be somewhat eased before paying the price for my mistakes.”
Previously, the prosecution had requested a 12-13 year prison sentence for Nga, holding her responsible for a total sum of over 12 billion dong received by subordinates, from which she personally benefited 8 billion.
Former Department Head’s Husband: “This is a costly and bitter lesson”
