31 lawyers to protect 12 defendants involved in the Ethanol Phu Tho case
Thirty-one lawyers have registered to protect 12 defendants involved in the case of violations of regulations on investment in construction works, causing serious consequences, at an ethanol plant in the northern province of Phu Tho, for which a 10-day trial will be opened by the People’s Court of Hanoi on March 8.
Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) Dinh La Thang at a court on January 22 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Thirty-one lawyers have registered to protect 12 defendants involved in the case of violations of regulations oninvestment in construction works, causing serious consequences, at an ethanolplant in the northern province of Phu Tho, for which a 10-day trial will beopened by the People’s Court of Hanoi on March 8.
Prominent among the 12 defendants are former Chairman of the Board ofDirectors of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) Dinh LaThang; former Chairman of the Board of Directors and former General Director ofthe PetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVC) Trinh Xuan Thanh; and former GeneralDirector of the PetroVietnam PetroChemicalsand Biofuel JSC (PVB) Vu Thanh Ha
Trinh Xuan Thanh has been charged with “violatingregulations on investment in construction works, causing serious consequences”,under Article 224, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code 2015, and “abusing positionand power while performing duties” under Article 356, Clause 3.
Thang will have three lawyers to protect him, Thanh four, and Ha six. One defendanthas not asked any lawyer to defend him at the court.
The court will summon six inspectors and a number ofwitnesses as well as those having relevant obligations and rights.
According to the indictment, Thang signed a resolution to approve theinvestment in the project in October 2007. With Thanh’s support, PVC/AlfaLaval/Delta-T joint contractors, who had no previous experience in carrying outethanol projects, were assigned to be in charge of the project.
As a result, the project was continuously behind schedule and stopped inMarch 2013 with no construction items done.
Wrongdoings of the defendants were said to cause a loss of more than 543billion VND (23.49 million USD)./.
Progress has been reported in three of 12 loss-making projects under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) more than a year after the Government’s steering committee for loss-making projects implemented comprehensive solutions.
Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has urged the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) to enhance its capacity in petroleum exploration and exploitation to develop the marine economy in the new context.
The Hanoi People’s Court has decided to open a first-instance trial on January 22 against 12 defendants on the charge of violating regulations on investment in construction works, causing serious consequences at a petrochemical and bio-fuel plant project in the northern province of Phu Tho.
The Hanoi People’s Court will open a 10-day trial on March 8 to hear a case of violations of regulations on investment in construction works, causing serious consequences, at an ethanol plant in the northern province of Phu Tho.
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Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai highlighted the growing demand for Vietnamese workers in Kyushu, especially in Fukuoka, Oita, and Saga prefectures. Currently, the region employs about 35,000 Vietnamese manual workers and over 5,000 IT engineers.
In Vietnam’s case, she said, President Ho Chi Minh demonstrated his strategic vision by founding the revolutionary press a century ago. The late leader understood the press's role not only as a means to reflect the country’s realities but also as a powerful tool to strengthen national unity and inspire the resistance wars and national construction process.
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Today, the press for foreign service has evolved into a distinct, irreplaceable force, bridging Vietnam with the world and portraying a nation that is stable, peace-loving, and fully integrated into the international community.
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The VNA delegation, led by General Director Vu Viet Trang, actively participated in the event, engaging in both professional and diplomatic activities.
In the context where AI dominates and produces vast volumes of content, the only sustainable path forward for journalism is to focus on high-quality content and core values. Journalism must redefine its mission - not to report the fastest, but to provide the most profound and trustworthy value.
Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
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Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) Dinh La Thang at a court on January 22 (Photo: VNA) 
