USAID helps improve judgment of wildlife-related cases in Vietnam
A training programme seeking to improve the capacity of judges and people’s court personnel for judging cases related to crimes against protected wildlife took place in Da Nang on July 11.
Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh speaks at the training programme (Photo: VNA)Da Nang (VNA) – A training programme seeking to improve the capacity of judges and people’s court personnel for judging cases related to crimes against protected wildlife as stipulated in the 2015 Penal Code (amended in 2017) took place in the central city of Da Nang on July 11.
The event was jointly held by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Vietnam Supreme People’s Court, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
It offered a chance for judges to contribute their ideas to a draft resolution of the Council of Judges on guiding the implementation of new wildlife-related regulations of the amended Penal Code.
Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh said new clauses and heavier penalties of the 2015 Penal Code (amended in 2017) show Vietnam’s stronger resolve to fight crimes against wildlife, and its commitment to implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Delegates to the event delivered reports on and discussed violations related to wild animals in Vietnam, while sharing difficulties in prosecuting and judging several related cases in the country.
Pham Quy Ty, former Deputy Minister of Justice, said that as the trading of wild animals brings about high profits, violators use a lot of subtle measures to avoid inspections of authorised offices.
Hiring transporters is the most common way, so authorised offices often arrest only transporters, not instigators, leading to the suspension of many cases, Ty noted.
He stressed the need for the Supreme People’s Court to soon promulgate the Council of Judges’ resolution guiding the implementation of Articles 234 and 244 of the 2015 Penal Code on how to differentiate an animal entity and parts of animal body.
Nguyen Chi Cong, deputy head of the Department of Legislation and Science Management under the Supreme People’s Court, cited the court’s statistics as saying that the court handled 40 cases related the smuggling of wild animals with 60 defendants involved in 2015. The figures rose to 92 cases involving 130 defendants in 2016 and 99 cases and 149 defendants in 2017. Of the total, 207 cases with 303 defendants involved went on trial, equal to 89.6 percent.
In the past three years, financial punishments were imposed on two persons, while 16 received non-custodial re-education, 181 got a suspended sentence, 96 were sentenced to below 3 years in prison, and eight got sentences of 3-7 years in jail, Cong stated.
Katelin Maher from the USAID in Vietnam said that the training programme is the follow-up of assistance provided by the USAID for the Supreme People’s Court through its Governance for Inclusive Growth programme (GIG) to determine challenges and gather responses on judgment of wildlife-related cases.
Through the GIG programme, USAID will continue providing technical assistance for the Vietnamese Government, National Assembly and judicial sector, and coordinating with the business community and civil organisations to support sustainable economic growth in the country, she added.-VNA
You should also see
Dien Bien Phu Victory echoes, 70 years on
Seventy years ago, Vietnam won the Dien Bien Phu battle, forcing the French government to sign the Geneva Agreement in July 1954 and marking the end of the French military presence in the whole Indochina.
See more
Politics
Prime Minister pays tribute to legendary founders of Vietnam
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 18 attended a ceremony to offer incense to Vietnam’s forefathers Hung Kings at Hung Temple in Phu Tho province on the occasion of the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day, which falls on the 10th day of the third lunar month every year.
Society
Overseas Vietnamese in Laos, France, Irsarel commemorate Hung Kings
The General Association of Vietnamese in Laos and the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane on April 18 held a ceremony to observe the commemorative anniversary of the Hung Kings, the legendary nation founders.
Society
Activities held nationwide to commemorate Hung Kings
Localities across Vietnam held activities in commemoration of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the country, on April 18 or the 10th of the third lunar month.
Videos
Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day - Vietnam’s long-held tradition
Many Vietnamese have learned by heart a “six-eight” iambic couplet verse stating that no matter how far Vietnamese people travel, they always remember the Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day. This important holiday falls on the tenth day of the third lunar month in remembrance of Vietnam’s Hung Kings.
Society
Da Nang teams up with CityNet for urban development
Leaders of the central coastal city of Da Nang on April 17 discussed cooperation measures with Jeong-kee Kim, visiting Chief Executive Officer of the Secretariat of CityNet, the regional network of local authorities for the management of human settlements.
