Establish a council to appraise the value of each vehicle

Authorities in Binh Thuan province will establish a council to appraise the value of assets in the fire of more than 200 motorbikes based on vehicle documents, violation records and many other factors.

On March 16, Colonel Huynh Ngoc Liem, Deputy Director of Binh Thuan Provincial Police, said that the authorities are continuing to investigate and clarify the responsibilities of individuals and groups that caused the fire of more than 200 motorbikes at the motorbike impound lot of Tanh Linh District Police (Binh Thuan).

Through initial investigation, the cause of the fire was due to a soldier carelessly throwing a cigarette butt in the parking lot, then the wind blew the cigarette butt right into the gasoline tank causing the fire.

200 motorbikes burned at police headquarters: Council established to assess the value of each vehicle photo 1

Colonel Huynh Thanh Liem, Deputy Director of Binh Thuan Provincial Police (Photo: Phuoc Tuan).

According to Colonel Liem, the authorities will establish an appraisal council to assess the value of property damage. Based on vehicle documents and violation records, the appraisal council will re-evaluate the exact value of each type of vehicle owned by the people in accordance with the law.

"The legal entity responsible for compensating the people for their damages is Tanh Linh District Police. The next steps for the individuals and groups involved will be investigated and concluded by the authorities," said Mr. Liem.

People whose motorbikes are detained will be guided by Tanh Linh District Police through legal procedures to prepare documents to receive compensation.

According to preliminary assessment, the fire caused about 2 billion VND in damage (just counting the motorbikes), not to mention a series of nearby structures and damaged information transmission lines.

200 motorbikes burned at police headquarters: Council established to assess the value of each vehicle photo 2

According to lawyer Nguyen Trong Nghia ( Hanoi Bar Association), if the competent authority concludes that the cause of the fire was due to a force majeure event, the place that issued the decision to temporarily detain and confiscate the above vehicle is not responsible for compensation according to Clause 2, Article 584, Civil Code 2015.

If it is determined that the fire was not caused by force majeure, sabotage or negligence of an individual, the agency that issued the decision to temporarily detain the vehicle must still compensate the vehicle owners, and then sue the individual who caused the fire to request compensation for damages. In cases where there is evidence that there are sufficient elements to constitute a crime, the case can be prosecuted and the accused prosecuted.

In fact, when the police detain a vehicle for violations, they often do not record in the minutes whether the vehicle is old or new, or how damaged it is. Therefore, according to Mr. Nghia, determining the value of each vehicle before the fire to serve as a basis for compensation is a problem. On the other hand, if the parking lot is insured, the insurance agency will be responsible for compensating the vehicle owners.