Vietnam: Former Officials Face Charges in Fatal Accident Case Over Alleged Cover-Up

An investigation into a fatal traffic accident in Vietnam's Vinh Long province has led to prosecutors recommending charges against six former officials from the Tra On district police and judicial bodies. The case centers on allegations of "not prosecuting a guilty person" following the death of a 14-year-old female student.

The accident occurred on September 4, 2024, when truck driver Nguyen Van Bao Trung, 34, allegedly overtook unsafely, encroaching on the opposing lane and causing a collision that killed student N.N.B.T. Initial assessments identified Trung's unsafe overtaking as the primary cause, with the student’s alleged inattention considered a minor infraction. However, the case file was allegedly manipulated by the accused officials to exonerate Trung.

According to the investigation by the Supreme People's Procuracy's Investigation Agency, former deputy head of the Tra On District Police's Criminal Investigation Agency, Le Quoc Viet, is accused of instructing his subordinate, investigator Nguyen Quoc Khanh, to draft false reports. Khanh reportedly admitted that he knew Trung's actions were the main cause of the accident but stated he lacked the conviction to defend his initial assessment when Viet allegedly altered the findings.

Further complicating the case, Le Quoc Viet and members of the truck driver's family had known each other for over a decade through a shared agricultural venture. Records show multiple phone calls between Viet and the driver's family on the day of the accident. Additionally, a cousin of the driver was reportedly working under Viet's command at the Tra On District Police at the time of the incident. The investigation seeks to establish whether these connections influenced the decision to shield the driver from prosecution.

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