Journalist, lawyer jailed for damaging business moguls' reputation

Dang Thi Han Ni, 47, was found guilty of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state and lawful rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens."

Tran Van Sy, 67, was found guilty of the same charge.

The two had posted videos on their Facebook and YouTube pages to criticize business mogul Nguyen Phuong Hang, general director of the Dai Nam Joint Stock Company based in the southern Binh Duong Province, and her husband Huynh Uy Dung, its chairman.

They had accused Hang of abusing power to make slanderous comments against celebrities and Dung of failing to do anything about it.

Some of the videos, which were published in 2021 and 2022, contained information disclosing personal and private information about Hang and her husband, the court ruled.

Ni and Sy's videos were also found to be false and affecting the legal interests of Dai Nam and besmirching the reputation of Hang and Dung.

Police escort Tran Van Sy out of a trial in HCMC, March 1, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Dai Nam owns several industrial zones and Hang and Dung are famous both for their lavish lifestyles and philanthropy.

Hang herself had been sentenced to three years in prison, also for abusing democratic freedoms, in September 2023 by the HCMC People’s Court.

In 2021 and 2022 Hang and several others had done 57 livestreams that harmed the reputation of 10 individuals, including singer Thuy Tien and her husband Cong Vinh, singers Vy Oanh and Dam Vinh Hung, actor Hoai Linh, Ni herself and another journalist, Duc Hien.

Many of the videos had questioned the integrity of their charity works.