On March 14, the Hanoi People’s Court announced the verdicts for the defendants involved in the tragic mini apartment fire in Thanh Xuan District, which claimed 56 lives.

The court sentenced Nghiem Quang Minh, the owner of the mini apartment building, to 12 years in prison for violating fire prevention regulations. Minh was also ordered to pay over 23 billion VND ($925,000) in compensation and to repair all damaged structures of the building.

Sentences for former officials linked to the case

In addition to Minh’s conviction, the court handed down prison sentences to several former local officials for negligence leading to serious consequences.

Chu Xuan Son, former vice chairman of Khuong Dinh Ward People’s Committee, received six years in prison. Nguyen Dinh Quan, former head of the construction inspection team, was sentenced to seven years.

Pham Tan Anh, another former vice chairman of Khuong Dinh Ward, was given four years. Nguyen Tuan Anh, former deputy chief of Khuong Dinh Ward Police, also received four years.

Other defendants received lighter sentences, including Nguyen Thi Kim Trang, a former local official, and Pham Thanh Tung, a former environmental officer, both sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Tran Trong Khang, former head of the Thanh Xuan District Construction Inspection Team, was sentenced to three years.

Court’s reasoning for sentencing

The court noted that Minh was a first-time offender and had shown remorse, cooperating with authorities and making partial financial compensation.

However, the amount he contributed was deemed insufficient compared to the severity of the damages.

According to the court, Minh’s violations posed a severe threat to public safety by failing to comply with fire prevention and building regulations.

The fire resulted in an exceptionally high number of casualties, including many children and entire families, leading to immeasurable pain and loss.

Despite Minh’s mitigating circumstances, the court ruled that a harsh sentence was necessary due to the gravity of the case.

For the former ward and district officials, the court acknowledged that they had no prior criminal records and had actively contributed to their communities.

The defendants had shown remorse, cooperated in rescue efforts, and provided financial assistance to victims.

The court ruled that their offenses were due to negligence, rather than intentional wrongdoing, and emphasized that many of the accused had voluntarily provided compensation to affected families.

Compensation and damages

The court determined that Minh was primarily responsible for compensating victims for loss of life and property damage. Minh and the other defendants were ordered to cover funeral expenses, financial support for dependents of victims, and other emotional damages.

The Hanoi People’s Committee had already covered all medical expenses for survivors, so Minh was not required to reimburse these costs.

Some firefighting officers were injured during the rescue operations but did not request compensation, so the court did not address their claims.

T. Nhung