Family of wrongfully accused man compensated with $67,600 after 43 years

By Bui Toan March 7, 2024 | 06:05 pm PT

Huynh Chiem Hoanh (R) and Tran Be who were wrongfully arrested for a murder in Khanh Hoa Province in 1981. Photo by VnExpress/Hong Ha

A man who died in 2015 at the age of 84 has been cleared of murder charges from the 1980s and his family has been compensated with VND1.67 billion ($67,631).

Huynh Chiem Phai was accused of murdering the chairman of the Ninh Giang Commune People’s Committee back in 1981. At the time, he, along with then-67-year-old Tran Be, were arrested for the crime.

In February 1983, Phai became ill and so was allowed to be released on bail. After years of failing to prove their case, prosecutors suspended the case in September 1984.

In 2019, prosecutors from the central-coast province of Khanh Hoa apologized to Phai and Be. A year later, Be was compensated VND510 million. Phai's family wanted a compensation of VND4 billion, but negotiations with prosecutors failed, so the family filed a lawsuit.

In 2022, the Khanh Hoa People's Court agreed to parts of the request made by Huynh Chiem Hoanh, Phai’s son, forcing Khanh Hoa prosecutors to compensate the family with over VND1.6 billion. The money was transferred into Hoanh’s account on March 1.