The trial of 52-year-old Ho Bich Nga, who lives in Hai Chau District’s Thuan Phuoc Ward, took place at the headquarters of the Hoa Minh Ward People’s Committee on Tuesday.

The defendant Nga at her trial

Nga was sentenced to 15 years in prison for “defrauding money and appropriating property” under Article 139 of the Vietnamese Penal Code.  In addition, she was required to compensate her victims for the illegally appropriated money.

According to the indictment by the city’s prosecutors, Nga took advantage of people's credulity and their desire for apartment ownership as soon as possible to defraud them of their money.  She defrauded money from 2 main victims and 60 related others through the sale of apartments for low-income earners.  Her fraud was valued at over 2.6 billion VND.

This case has been considered the largest scam concerning the sale of houses for low-income earners in the city, and it has drawn a great deal of attention from local people.