Trần Dụ Châu
Colonel Trần Dụ Châu | |
|---|---|
| 1st Director of the Ordnance Bureau Ministry of Defense | |
| In office 1947[note 1]–1950 | |
| Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Post established Vũ Anh (as Director of the Ordnance Office) |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished Trần Đăng Ninh (as Director of the General Supplies Directorate) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1906 |
| Died | 6 September 1950 (aged 43–44) |
| Cause of death | Capital punishment |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  People's Army of Vietnam |
Years of service | 1946–1950 |
| Rank |  Colonel (stripped) |
| Commands | Ordnance Bureau Ordnance Office |
| Battles/wars | |
Trần Dụ Châu (1906–1950) was an officer in the People's Army of Vietnam who was executed in 1950 because of corruption. His example was the first corruption case to end in capital punishment in the history of the then Democratic Republic of Vietnam.[1]
Early life and career
Trần Dụ Châu was born in 1906 in the province of Nghệ An.[2] In 1930, he began working for the French embassy as a secretary and also wrote for Thanh Nghệ Tĩnh newspaper; however he was laid off by the embassy. In 1932, Châu began working as a train employee in northern Annam and became an accounting manager after the Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina (1945). Thanks to his connections with the Japanese, he acquired a warehouse of fabric in the district of Đức Phong, sold it, and bought a villa in Đà Lạt. After the August Revolution, Châu offered a part of his property to the country and started working for the Việt Minh as a member of the Vietnamese Railway Office Committee and the Railway Workers' National Salvation Association. In the First Indochina War, shortly after the war broke out, Châu traveled to northern Vietnam, and he was given a mission to arrange the transport of thousands of tons of rice and salt from Vân Đình, Hà Đông, to troops stationed in Việt Bắc.[3][4] His quality service secured him a Colonelcy and the position of head of Ordnance. His status as a notorious "player" gradually emerged.[5]
In a reorganization of the Ministry of Defense on 18 June 1949, Colonel Trần Dụ Châu's continued employment as Director of the Ordnance Office was confirmed by a decree from Chairman Hồ Chí Minh. The same decree confirmed his appointment as Director of the Ordnance Bureau since 19 March 1947 by "Decree no. 36-SL".[6][7]
Trial and execution
After going to a wedding with Trần Dụ Châu as the person presiding the wedding, poet Đoàn Phú Tứ wrote a letter to Hồ Chí Minh, accusing Châu of corruption. A military court was established at the hall.[2] On 5 September 1950, a trial was carried out for Trần Dụ Châu, Lê Sỹ Cửu (Châu's assistant), and Bùi Minh Chân (Châu's secretary). Đoàn Phú Tứ was also invited to the trial.[8] Major General Chu Văn Tấn sat as Chief Justice along with two lay judges: Mr. Phạm Ngọc Hải, Director of Justice for the Việt Bắc Inter-Region, and Mr. Trần Tấn, Deputy Director of the Ordnance Bureau. Major General Trần Tử Bình sat on the Prosecuting Commissioner's (now the People's Procurator) seat.[9] After the trial, Trần Dụ Châu was sentenced to death. He also sent an appeal to Hồ Chí Minh but was declined.[10] Châu was executed on 6 September by a firing line.[11] He had taken 57,959 đồng, 149 United States dollars, and other goods worth 143,900 đồng.[3]
Controversy
As commonly seen with many junior to field-grade wartime officers from North Vietnam during the Indochina War, Trần Dụ Châu's status and the exact nature of his posts have been under debate. Information about his family is not publicly available. Certain sources reported that both Lê Sỹ Cửu and Bùi Minh Chân committed suicide during detention.[12] It is unclear how they were able to achieve this end.
On the distinction between the then "Ordnance Bureau" and the "Ordnance Office", the Vietnamese Lawyers Journal wrote: "At the time, the Ordnance Bureau was only responsible for management and administration, while the Ordnance Office was directly responsible for the production of military uniforms and equipment."[note 2][13]
Notes
References
- ↑ "Báo chí trường chinh cùng dân tộc – Bài 2: Từ Hà Nội đến chiến khu". Đại biểu Nhân dân. June 18, 2025. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- 1 2 Ngọc, Lộc (30 December 2018). "Nhà thơ phanh khui vụ án Trần Dụ Châu". Báo Hải Dương (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- 1 2 Hồng, Hà (24 August 2005). "55 năm nhìn lại vụ án Trần Dụ Châu". Công an nhân dân (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ↑ Kiều, Mai Sơn (27 December 2019). "Đại tá Trần Dụ Châu & Bản án tử hình tội phạm tham nhũng đầu tiên: [Bài IV] Giết một con sâu cứu cả rừng cây". Nông nghiệp Việt Nam (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ↑ "Vụ án Trần Dụ Châu". vanhoc.gocnhin.net. August 24, 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ "SẮC LỆNH CỦA CHỦ TỊCH NƯỚC VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HOÀ SỐ 55 NGÀY 18 THÁNG 6 NĂM 1949 CỬ CÁN BỘ GIỮ CHỨC VỤ ĐIỀU KHIỂN TRONG BỘ QUỐC PHÒNG". Thư viện Pháp luật. June 18, 1949. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Danh mục Sắc lệnh do Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh ký từ nǎm 1947 đến 1949". tennguoidepnhat.net. June 29, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ Nguyễn, Khắc Phi (2 July 2006). "Một đám cưới năm 1950". Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ↑ "Nhìn lại vụ án tham nhũng của Trần Dụ Châu và bài học cho quá trình rèn luyện đạo đức cách mạng". Viện Kiểm sát Nhân dân tỉnh Đồng Tháp. July 27, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ↑ Nguyễn, Cúc (15 November 2021). "Ngày 15-11-1950: Bác Hồ nói gì về tham nhũng và công tác cán bộ?". People's Army Newspaper (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ↑ Nguyễn, Quang Duy (16 June 2021). "Chỉ tự do chính trị mới giúp Việt Nam chống được tham nhũng". BBC (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ↑ "Vụ án Trần Dụ Châu: Còn nguyên giá trị trong phòng, chống tham nhũng". Báo Thanh tra. November 23, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Vụ án Trần Dụ Châu (Phần 1): Bản án tử hình đầu tiên về tội tham nhũng". Tạp chí Điện tử Luật sư Việt Nam. January 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
External links
- Đêm Trắng, a play based on the trial and execution of Trần Dụ Châu