A former treasurer of the Saigon Zoo Botanical Garden in Ho Chi Minh City could face the death sentence for allegedly plotting the murder of a zoo official.

Lam Bich Thuy, 45, and her brother Lam Thanh Phong, 44, are accused of hiring a gang to kill the deputy chief of Saigon Zoos accounting department, Dang Vu Thang, in 2001.

The HCMC Peoples Procuracy proposed a death sentence for Thuy and life imprisonment for Phong at Thursdays trial.

The procurary also suggested that Do Cong Toan, a member of the gang, serve a death sentence for allegedly slashing Thang to death when the victim was on his way home from his office Aug. 22, 2001.

The murder happened at the intersection of Nguyen Du and Cach Mang Thang Tam streets.

Three other gang members accused of being involved in the murder also stood trial Dec. 30. The court proposed 20 years for Nguyen Anh Tuan, 18-20 years for Nguyen Son Vu and 16-18 years for Le Ba Long.

Lam Ngoc Hai and Truong Anh Tuan who allegedly helped Thuy and Phong hire the gang were proposed sentences of 14 to 18 years.

Until now, investigators are still looking for the gangs leader Tra Hinh, also known as Tran Duc Tra, who had asked Thuy and Phong for 30 million VND and 2,000 USD for the murder.

Another culprit?

During the trial Dec. 30, Thuy and her brother Phong said they did not intend to kill Thang. They had only asked the gang members to rough him up as a warning.

Thuy had suspected that the victim was responsible for exposing corruption at the Saigon Zoo, which had involved Thuy, to HCMC authorities.

In 2001, HCMC authorities received letters denouncing some Saigon Zoo officials including Thuy and Nguyen Quoc Thang, the zoo director, for a scandal related to the construction of the zoos facilities. At the time, Thuy and the director Quoc Thang were supposedly having a love affair.

According to investigators, there was not enough proof that Quoc Thang knew about Thuy and her brothers plan.

Although Thuy admitted that she had told Quoc Thang about hiring the criminals, in court, he said in trial he had not paid attention to many things that Thuy told him.

There is also another part of the case that remains unsolved. On the day Thang was murdered, he was drinking with friends in Thu Ducs outlying district when he received a mysterious phone call from someone who told him to return to the office in district 1.

He was then attacked by the gang members after leaving his office that evening.

Investigators suspect there was another person involved in the murder most likely a leader at the Saigon Zoo but could not identify who called Thang.

Presiding judge Vu Phi Long asked Thuy: In your opinion, who would have the power to ask Thang to return to the office immediately?

At that time, Dang Vu Thang was a deputy chief of a department. Only leaders of the Saigon Zoo could ask him to do so, said Thuy.

But, investigators could not identify who called as Thangs mobile phone and sim card were found broken.

The HCMC court is set to pronounce sentences for the offenders today Dec. 31.

Reported by Minh Thuan – Translated by T.H.