At 8:00 p.m. on December 26, the appeal hearing of the High People's Court in Hanoi on the "rescue flight" case ended its debate. The panel of judges allowed the defendants to have their final say before deliberating.

Until the last minute, the former secretary still affirmed that he did not harass businesses.

Defendant Pham Trung Kien, former Secretary of the Deputy Minister of Health, apologized to his family, the Party, the State, the people, and the leaders of the Ministry of Health for the violations he caused.

Defendant Kien explained that his crime stemmed from a momentary realization that he could not overcome the temptation of money. Similar to the previous trial, the defendant affirmed that he did not harass or hinder the business in the process of granting flight permits.

The former secretary also said that he was fully aware of his wrongdoings and expressed remorse. If given the chance to atone for his sins, the defendant would gladly accept it and would be willing to receive a fixed-term sentence so that he could return home soon to take care of his elderly mother.

Next, defendant Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former Director of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke in tears. The defendant said she was very sad to be in prison, and pleaded guilty before the Party, the State, and the citizens who participated in the flights back home.

"I apologize to my parents and relatives, because of me everyone has suffered all this time; thank you to my colleagues for opening their arms to love me when I made a mistake," the female defendant choked up.

Mr. To Anh Dung, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, is one of the defendants who held the highest position in the "rescue flight" case before being prosecuted.

In his final words, Mr. Dung said that through this trial, he had clearly seen the picture of the case and realized his own mistakes and wrongdoings. "Although it was not intentional, my actions have affected the reputation of the agency and my family," the former deputy minister stated, and said that he had devoted his whole life to his work and hoped to receive leniency.

Former investigator hopes court will make "merciful" verdict

Having claimed his innocence for a long time, defendant Hoang Van Hung (former Head of Department 5, Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security) has now admitted his guilt and remedied all the consequences. He said he is fully aware of his mistakes.

The former investigator of the "rescue flight" case felt he had lost the trust of his teammates, friends and family. "Right now, I would like to apologize and hope everyone will forgive me," he said.

Explaining his illness, defendant Hung hoped that the panel of judges would consider his own opinions as well as his defense attorney’s during the appeal trial. He also believed that the panel of judges would make a compassionate decision so that he could soon return to his family and contribute to society.

Another defendant is Tran Van Tan, former Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province. Mr. Tan said that in his final statement at the first instance trial and at the appeal trial, the defendant apologized to the leaders of the Party, the State, and the agency where he used to work. Therefore, to save time, the defendant did not speak again, but only asked the panel of judges to thoroughly consider the mitigating circumstances to determine the sentence, and to grant the defendant leniency.

Similarly, defendant Do Hoang Tung, former Deputy Director of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, admitted that he could not control himself, allowing the violations to occur. The defendant asked the panel of judges to consider reducing his sentence so that he could return to his family soon and become a good citizen.

The People's Court said it will announce the appeal verdict on the "rescue flight" case at 10 a.m. tomorrow, December 27.