Vietnam Defense and News forum

[Yellow is Okay]

German court sentenced Le Trung Khoa to slander and defame Vingroup​

The German court declared Vingroup/VinFast a winner in a defamation case involving Le Trung Khoa, who had slandered the group for giving bribes and called it ghost.
The German court has just issued a verdict on Mr. Le Trung Khoa, owner of Thoibao.de, in the lawsuit between Vingroup/VinFast and Mr. Khoa related to defamation and slander against this enterprise.

Accordingly, Le Trung Khoa is prohibited from posting or allowing the posting of content related to the statement "VinFast bribed journalists" on his personal page or information pages managed by him. If he repeats the offense, Mr. Khoa will be administratively fined up to 250,000 euros for each violation, or sentenced to imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years.

The verdict was made after an emergency trial held in Berlin, Germany, on November 4, 2025, regarding Vingroup/VinFast's lawsuit against Mr. Le Trung Khoa over statements that "Vingroup is mafia" and "Vingroup/VinFast has given bribes". During the trial, Mr. Khoa and the lawyer could not provide any evidence to prove that the above statements were true.

Vingroup/VinFast of billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong affirmed that it will resolutely pursue defamation lawsuits abroad, considering this a necessary action to protect the honor of Vietnamese enterprises and respect the law.​

After reviewing all the records, the German court concluded that the allegations of VinFast bribing journalists were untrue and ordered Mr. Khoa to prohibit or permit the dissemination of this information. Regarding the accusation of Vingroup is propaganda, although the court determined that this was an unfounded statement, it held that it was just a personally felt by the defendant.

Mr. Yannick Hoppe - lawyer at Brost and Classen law firm, representing Vingroup said that Vingroup did not agree with part of the verdict and will appeal in the next trial.

According to Mr. Hoppe, this lawsuit is just the beginning, and Vingroup will continue to carry out legal procedures in Germany to require Mr. Le Trung Khoa to be responsible for fabricated and slanderous statements related to Vingroup, VinFast and Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong personally.

Vingroup representative emphasized that the group will continue to take necessary legal measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests against false and defamatory content in the future.

Despite legal difficulties or geographical changes, we believe that anti- defamation lawsuits like this are necessary, not only to protect the legitimate rights of businesses but also to respect the rule of law. freedom of speech or freedom of press must be exercised on the basis of the law".

According to Vingroup, the determination to pursue defamation lawsuits demonstrates a uncompromising view of fake news and targeted defamation campaigns, especially campaigns aimed at reputable Vietnamese enterprises with international influence, with the aim of causing public panic and damaging the image of enterprises.

https://news.laodong.vn/doanh-nghie...hoa-co-vu-khong-phi-bang-vingroup-1603917.ldo

 

[Yellow is Okay]

@Viet, have you seen this? I'm skeptical, is "defamation" really the whole case?

 

[Viet]

@Viet, have you seen this? I'm skeptical, is "defamation" really the whole case?

No, I am not really interested of such news. I mostly focus on technology and progress. There are thousands positive news about Vingroup, same thousands negative views.
Same pro and con for Tesla.
At the end of the day what matters is how many cars are sold, how much the market cap of the company.
The rest is just sands in ocean.
At most I don’t understand why any Vietnamese have any motive to harm any Vietnamese company.

 

[Yellow is Okay]

No, I am not really interested of such news. I mostly focus on technology and progress. There are thousands positive news about Vingroup, same thousands negative views.
Same pro and con for Tesla.
At the end of the day what matters is how many cars are sold, how much the market cap of the company.
The rest is just sands in ocean.
At most I don’t understand why any Vietnamese have any motive to harm any Vietnamese company.

You speak German, and the defendant already posted official court documents from the Berlin Regional Court showing that what Vingroup accused him of isn't true. VinFast Germany and Pham Nhat Vuong tried to claim that his reporting connected them to bribery allegations and demanded he be banned from publishing such things. But the court rejected most of their claims, only upholding a small part and dismissing the rest as unfounded. That means the court recognized his reporting as largely legitimate and protected under freedom of the press. And again, whether something counts as "harm" is subjective. You act as if silencing journalists and pressuring the media isn't harm. When a company and the press work together to shut people up, that is harm in its purest form, no matter how you try to spin it.

 

[Viet]

You speak German, and the defendant already posted official court documents from the Berlin Regional Court showing that what Vingroup accused him of isn't true. VinFast Germany and Pham Nhat Vuong tried to claim that his reporting connected them to bribery allegations and demanded he be banned from publishing such things. But the court rejected most of their claims, only upholding a small part and dismissing the rest as unfounded. That means the court recognized his reporting as largely legitimate and protected under freedom of the press. And again, whether something counts as "harm" is subjective. You act as if silencing journalists and pressuring the media isn't harm. When a company and the press work together to shut people up, that is harm in its purest form, no matter how you try to spin it.

I don’t follow the case. I really not interested.
But the german penalty laws (Strafgesetzbuch) say defamation is a criminal offense, and be punished by prison or money compensation. Defamation is not free speech.
Take an example
You accuse your neighbor of robbery or rapist.
He can sue you in court and ask for 1 million euros compensation.

 

[Yellow is Okay]

I don’t follow the case. I really not interested.
But the german penalty laws (Strafgesetzbuch) say defamation is a criminal offense, and be punished by prison or money compensation. Defamation is not free speech.
Take an example
You accuse your neighbor of robbery or rapist.
He can sue you in court and ask for 1 million euros compensation.

Pretty sure most of the claims from the plaintiff was dismissed.

 

[Viet]

Pretty sure most of the claims from the plaintiff was dismissed.

If he accuses the company of wrong doing but fails to deliver any evidence then the court will reject it, what else?
I just check the penal code. The company can sue him of intentional defamation and ask for compensation. If found guilty this guy can be sentenced to 5y in prison. That will be a harsh prison term. In addition may pay huge sum to compensate the company.

Verleumdung &187

„Wer wider besseres Wissen eine unwahre Tatsache behauptet oder verbreitet, um jemanden verächtlich zu machen oder in der öffentlichen Meinung herabzuwürdigen…“

Strafe:

Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 2 Jahren oder Geldstrafe,

bis zu 5 Jahren, wenn öffentlich oder schriftlich (z. B. im Internet).

 

[Yellow is Okay]

If he accuses the company of wrong doing fails to deliver any evidence then the court will reject it, what else?
I just check the penal code. The company can sue him of intentional defamation and ask compensation. If found guilty this guy can be sentenced to 5y in prison.




2.


Verleumdung (§ 187 StGB)








„Wer wider besseres Wissen eine unwahre Tatsache behauptet oder verbreitet, um jemanden verächtlich zu machen oder in der öffentlichen Meinung herabzuwürdigen…“





Strafe:


Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 2 Jahren oder Geldstrafe,


bis zu 5 Jahren, wenn öffentlich oder schriftlich (z. B. im Internet).




2.


Verleumdung (§ 187 StGB)








„Wer wider besseres Wissen eine unwahre Tatsache behauptet oder verbreitet, um jemanden verächtlich zu machen oder in der öffentlichen Meinung herabzuwürdigen…“





Strafe:


Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 2 Jahren oder Geldstrafe,


bis zu 5 Jahren, wenn öffentlich oder schriftlich (z. B. im Internet).




2.


Verleumdung (§ 187 StGB)








„Wer wider besseres Wissen eine unwahre Tatsache behauptet oder verbreitet, um jemanden verächtlich zu machen oder in der öffentlichen Meinung herabzuwürdigen…“





Strafe:


Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 2 Jahren oder Geldstrafe,


bis zu 5 Jahren, wenn öffentlich oder schriftlich (z. B. im Internet).




2.


Verleumdung (§ 187 StGB)








„Wer wider besseres Wissen eine unwahre Tatsache behauptet oder verbreitet, um jemanden verächtlich zu machen oder in der öffentlichen Meinung herabzuwürdigen…“





Strafe:


Freiheitsstrafe bis zu 2 Jahren oder Geldstrafe,


bis zu 5 Jahren, wenn öffentlich oder schriftlich (z. B. im Internet).

You know this case is already done, right? The defendant only had to cover 25% of VF Germany's legal fees, while the remaining 75% was paid by PNV and VF Germany. As for court costs, PNV covered 50% and VF Germany paid 37.5%, meaning the plaintiffs together paid 87.5% of the total. The defendant only paid 12.5%. For defendant's legal fees, PNV compensated 50% and VF Germany 37.5%, again totaling 87.5% covered by the plaintiffs. The defendant only lost one claim, the one about VF bribing journalists, while all the other four claims were dismissed.

 

[Viet]

You know this case is already done, right? The defendant only had to cover 25% of VF Germany's legal fees, while the remaining 75% was paid by PNV and VF Germany. As for court costs, PNV covered 50% and VF Germany paid 37.5%, meaning the plaintiffs together paid 87.5% of the total. The defendant only paid 12.5%. For defendant's legal fees, PNV compensated 50% and VF Germany 37.5%, again totaling 87.5% covered by the plaintiffs. The defendant only lost one claim, the one about VF bribing journalists, while all the other four claims were dismissed.

Again, I not interested of such news. But because you questioned, I read the court filing. What we know so far. This guy is publisher. He repeatedly criticizes Vietnam gov and communist ruling party. In this case hr made the claim about Vingroup attempting to bribe him twice, but failed to deliver any evidence.
So the court ordered him to stop defamation in the future. If failing he will pay 250,000 euros or 6 months prison.
He made other accusations and remarks. Accusations are always problematic. If made he must show evidence, otherwise he is guilty. As remarks, that’s generally accepted as free speech.

Vor Gericht: Reichster Mann Vietnams klagt gegen Journalisten in Berlin

Vietnamesischer Konzern klagt gegen Vietnam-Kritiker: Journalist Trung Khoa Le vor Gericht in Berlin – ein richtungsweisender Fall für die Pressefreiheit.

www.berliner-zeitung.de

 

[Viet]

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[Viet]

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