On August 17, the People’s Court of Can Tho City decided to send back the case file for additional investigation regarding Ky Joshua Dung-Huu and Chau Ngoc Bich, both indicted on charges of “fraudulent appropriation of property.”
The trial panel determined that the prosecution lacked sufficient evidence to prove the criminal conduct of Dung-Huu and the accomplice role of Chau Ngoc Bich, noting that these evidential gaps could not be addressed directly in the courtroom.
Earlier, on June 18, 2026, the court had brought the case to a first-instance trial and similarly ordered the case file returned to the municipal People’s Procuracy for further investigation.
According to the indictment, around October 2020, nine fishing vessels owned by D.T.H. and L.T.T. (residing in the Vung Tau area) were seized by Indonesian maritime law enforcement while operating in overlapping waters between Vietnam and Indonesia.
Seeking a way to retrieve the seized vessels, another shipowner, H.H.A., consulted with L.T.T. Through mutual acquaintances, A. learned that D.T.H.’s family had faced a similar situation in 2018. D.T.H. then introduced A. to Ky Joshua Dung-Huu (commonly known as Ky), a U.S. citizen married to a Vietnamese national and residing in Ho Chi Minh City.
During their meeting, H. and A. asked Ky to help retrieve the nine impounded vessels. Ky pledged to secure the release of the boats within one month at a cost of 1 billion VND per vessel. A. subsequently transferred 9.45 billion VND (approx. $380,000 USD) to Bich, Ky’s niece-in-law.
After receiving the money, Ky allegedly failed to carry out the agreed retrieval efforts. Instead, he instructed Bich to spend the funds on personal expenses, including house rent, car purchases, daily operations, and capital contributions to other businesses.
When the boats failed to return, A. repeatedly contacted Ky. The defendant initially offered excuses, avoided inquiries, and eventually severed all contact.
The indictment further alleged that in 2018, Ky promised to extend a $3 million business loan to an enterprise run by D.X.H. Ky claimed his wife held the funds at a bank in Singapore and argued that early withdrawal would incur a 1-billion-VND penalty. He asked H.’s company to cover this fee to release the loan.
Trusting the arrangement, H. transferred 900 million VND to Ky’s wife’s account. However, Ky never disbursed the promised $3 million.
Additionally, around May 2020, Ky approached T.T.T.H. to propose a joint venture chartering oil tankers from Singapore to Vietnam amid pandemic-related logistical disruptions. Believing the proposal, H. made two transfers totaling 1.95 billion VND. When she demanded her share of profits and loan repayment, Ky delayed repeatedly before cutting off communication.
Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper
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Source: Vietnam Insider