Previously, on February 23, 2018, at the first instance trial, the People's Court of Ha Dong District sentenced Nguyen Mau Chien to 13 months in prison and an additional fine of VND 10 million for transportation and stockpiling. plus about 34kg of rhino horn and many other endangered, precious and rare wildlife exhibits.
After the first-instance trial, the ENV representative determined that the sentence was too light for Chien in the role of the mastermind and commander of two accomplices in accordance with Article 155 of the 1999 Penal Code (Amendment, supplement 2009). Obviously, this sentence is not enough to deter the suspect suspected of leading a trans-national wildlife trade. The head of the Hanoi People's Procuracy then protested the proposal to try Chien on two crimes and increase the penalty for this subject. ENV hoped and put its trust in the appellate trial, to have a harsh sentence of right people. However, that unfortunately did not happen in reality.
ENV representative said after the appeal court: "The acceptance of appeal appeals and increased penalties for Nguyen Mau Chien is a step in the right direction of the trial. However, the verdict needs to be stronger to match the seriousness of the case. ENV and conservation organizations have expected a much higher punishment than the 16-month prison sentence for oligarchs like Chien. ”
Reportedly, ENV has been pursuing this case for 2 years and will continue to appeal to the higher judicial authorities to ensure that illegal wildlife traders such as Nguyen Mau Chien and his accomplices must be punished properly. .
