Saigon café owner not guilty; those involved in wrong prosecution to be disciplined   Nguyen Van Tan, owner of the ‘Xin Chao!’ (Hello!) coffee shop in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, is pictured during an interview on April 23, 2016. Tuoi Tre All legal proceedings against a café owner in Ho Chi Minh City have been ceased while those responsible for his wrongful charges are expected to be penalized next week. Leaders of the People’s Procuracy in Binh Chanh District on Sunday morning granted Nguyen Van Tan, owner of the ‘Xin Chao!’ (Hello!) coffee shop, the decision to stop all legal proceedings against him, under the directions of Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuracy Le Minh Tri on Saturday. Following a conversation with judicial bodies in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Chanh District, along with assessments based on the case file, the Supreme People's Procuracy considered all charges against Tan unreasonable as he was not guilty of “conducting business illegally,” as accused. Prosecutor General Tri also ordered local authorities to publicly apologize to the café owner and compensate him for any damage. Le Thanh Tong, deputy chief of the People’s Procuracy in District 6, and Ho Van Son, procurator at the equivalent institution in Binh Chanh District, who partook in the legal proceedings, have been temporarily suspended from work. In a brief interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, an official at the Supreme People's Procuracy affirmed that the close of the case was based on a legal basis and was not influenced by public pressure.   A representative (R) of the People’s Procuracy in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, hands Nguyen Van Tan the decision to stop all legal charges against him on April 24, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre Lieutenant General Le Dong Phong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, asserted that the officers who filed the wrongful case against the coffee shop owner would be disciplined next week. There were many questionable aspects regarding the charges, Lt. Gen. Phong stated, adding that the police unit in Binh Chanh District was hasty and conservative when initiating the legal procedures. “We will review the responsibilities of those individuals concerned and specify any wrongdoing, based on which penalties will be imposed,” the police chief elaborated. Police officers’ haste has triggered fierce opposition from the public, damaging the image of the municipal police force, he said, adding that officials will convene a meeting to reach a final conclusion on punishment for those involved. Inspection has been ordered to be carried out of the investigations of all police units in the southern city to prevent similar misconduct, according to Lt. Gen. Phong. Other measures will also be applied to improve the qualifications of law enforcers in the city and to establish a police force with proper expertise and dedication, the police official concluded.   Lieutenant General Le Dong Phong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police. Photo: Tuoi Tre  On August 8, 2015, Tan opened his coffee shop in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, with a business license scheduled to be granted on August 19 and a food safety certificate on September 29. Just a month into the opening, the café selling breakfast, lunch and coffee was inspected by officers from the police station opposite twice for lacking such documents, leading to them probing the case against Tan on September 25. On March 11, 2016, the district’s procuracy issued an indictment against Tan for “conducting business illegally.” The case has largely attracted media attention and triggered public outrage, as the police station was so active in seeking an indictment against the café owner. Tan was then prosecuted by the district’s procuracy.  "Conducting business illegally" will no longer be criminalized when Vietnam's new penal code comes into effect in July 2016. TUOI TRE NEWS