LookAtVietnam – The HCM City Appellate on Monday rejected the appeal by exdirector of the HCM City Electricity Company, Le Minh Hoang, against his four-year jail sentence

Le Minh Hoang (left). (Photo: TPO)

It also rejected the appeals of six others convicted in the case but upheld those of five others, including his former deputy.

The judges rejected Hoang’s appeal, saying a four-year sentence was lighter than he should have got considering he was the chief culprit in the VND7.95 billion (US$459,000) scam.

Former deputy director, Le Van Hoanh, who was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for “breaking the law with serious consequences”, got it reduced to three years.

Four others got six months shaved off their original jail sentences of three years and six months.

The judges said they reduced the sentences on the request of Electricity of Viet Nam and the HCM City Electricity Company, which recently recalculated the maintenance costs for the 312,000 fake electricity meters installed with Hoang’s connivance.

The overall loss, originally estimated to be VND8.1 billion, was recently reworked due to the reuse of some appliances.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News