President of the Vietnam Boxing Federation Liu Xiu Bao was acquitted of kidnapping and illegal detention.

After a hearing on a Motion to Dismiss for Prosecutorial Delay (Serna Motion) in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California, Mr. Luu Tu Bao, President of the Vietnam Boxing Federation, was dismissed from all serious charges related to kidnapping and torture.

Liu Xiubao won the trial on June 20.

Liu Xiubao was arrested on April 1 in Santa Clara, near San Jose, California, USA, for kidnapping and illegal detention. According to the court clerk's minutes obtained by Thanh Nien reporters, Judge Brian J. Buckelew of the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California approved the motion to dismiss the entire case in which Liu Xiubao, born in 1976, was the defendant. The main reason given was "prosecution delay".

This is an important legal term that refers to the prosecution’s failure to conduct a trial within a reasonable period of time, thus affecting the defendant’s right to a speedy trial. This is particularly significant when the original charges were filed in 2009, nearly 16 years ago. This unusually long period of time was seen as a key factor in the court’s decision.

Liu Xiubao was judged victorious.

The initial charges that Liu Xiubao faced with the arrest warrant were quite serious, including: PC209(a)-F: Kidnapping, illegal detention, PC206-F: Torture with intent to cause serious injury.

At the trial, Mr. Liu was represented by his defense team of Nelson McElmurry and Dmitry Stadlin. They filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the prosecution’s lengthy delays, which affected witness testimony, constituted a serious breach of due process. The prosecution, represented by Olusere A. Olowoyeye, failed to present a convincing argument against this argument, leading Judge Buckelew to grant Nelson McElmurry’s motion.

The Santa Clara Police Department jail website shows that Mr. Bao is still in custody.

Immediately after the motion to dismiss was granted, the court ordered Liu Xiubao released. According to the minutes, all procedural requests against the 49-year-old chairman were no longer valid. This means that Liu was not only freed, but also completely cleared of the charges that had been brought against him in this case. However, as of the morning of September 6, 2025, the Santa Clara Police Department's jail website still recorded that Liu was being held, possibly due to a request from Australia and the federal government to hold him for extradition to serve the purpose of examining drug smuggling charges in Australia.

It is known that on August 28, Mr. Liu appeared at the preliminary hearing of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, where the lawyers of both sides agreed on the schedule for filing petitions, objections, and responses, followed by a hearing scheduled for the morning of January 29, 2026 (local time) by Judge Thomas S. Hixson. The federal court minutes on August 28 also showed that Mr. Liu was still in custody at that time.

VBF is waiting for authorization from Mr. Luu Tu Bao until March 2026.

In a press release after the VBF meeting on September 5, VBF said: " Mr. Liu Xiu Bao has been absent from Vietnam for more than half a year, not directly managing the activities of the federation, which has caused a stir in public opinion and unofficial information about Mr. Bao's involvement with international criminal organizations. Therefore, the Standing Committee and Executive Committee of VBF brought this issue to the conference and concluded as follows: Mr. Liu Xiu Bao went to the US for family matters since February 2025 and had to deal with some personal matters, so he could not return to Vietnam for the time being.

Mr. Luu Tu Bao will sign the authorization letter to manage VBF activities for Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung - Vice President and General Secretary of VBF in accordance with the provisions of the VBF's Charter approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs . The time from receiving the authorization letter until the end of March 2026.

During the time of not receiving the authorization letter from the President, the Standing Committee and the Executive Committee of VBF unanimously authorize the management of VBF to Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung - Vice President and General Secretary of VBF; The Federation is responsible for ensuring the organization of competitions for provincial, municipal and industry units in tournaments in the national competition system, ensuring the establishment and international competition of the Vietnamese team. Any activities outside this scope of the Federation members are personal matters and individuals must be responsible for their actions before the law.

The Standing Committee and Executive Committee of VBF authorized Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung - Vice President and General Secretary of VBF to be the sole representative of VBF in statements related to all activities of VBF. Up to this point, VBF has not received any official notification from the competent authorities about the personal activities of President Luu Tu Bao in the past, or during the time he was not in Vietnam. The personal and judicial records of Mr. Luu Tu Bao were confirmed by the Ministry of Justice , the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism before he ran for the VBF Executive Committee for the second term (2023-2028).

The Standing Committee and Executive Committee of VBF agree that in the case of VBF President Luu Tu Bao personally, if there is an official conclusion from domestic and international authorities about a violation of the law, the Standing Committee and Executive Committee of VBF will organize a conference to request permission to hold an extraordinary congress to elect a new president, ensuring the smooth direction and implementation of all VBF activities in accordance with legal regulations and still ensuring the operating budget of VBF until the end of the second term (2023 - 2028).

VBF will report in writing to the leaders of the Vietnam Sports Administration, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant authorities on the above contents. VBF commits and strives to operate all activities of Vietnamese boxing in accordance with the principles, purposes and operating regulations of VBF approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs."

Quynh Anh

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chu-tich-lien-doan-quyen-anh-viet-nam-luu-tu-bao-duoc-bai-toi-bat-coc-giam-giu-nguoi-trai-phep-185250906101231067.htm