Dinh La Thang (centre), who served as Minister of Transport between August 2011 and February 2016 (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - Dinh La Thang, who served as Minister ofTransport between August 2011 and February 2016, was sentenced to 10 years inprison for his role in the bidding and accounting fraud in the HCM City-TrungLuong Expressway project, a major toll road in southern Vietnam.
The sentence was given down on December 22 bythe People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City at the first instance trial on the casewhich started on December 14.
Although Thang did not admit guilty to hischarge of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets,causing waste and losses,” the judge council said his violations were clearlyseen in documents submitted to him by his subordinates, or those signed by him.
Thang’s unlawful acts had created theconditions for Dinh Ngoc He to commit frauds and appropriate assets, the judgessaid, affirming that the former official must bear the main responsibility inthe case and as such, a stricter penalty than those for his subordinates at thetransport ministry.
Together with the previous sentence for himin another case, Thang will have to serve a total 30 years in prison.
Nguyen Hong Truong, who was Deputy Ministerof Transport from April 2007 to August 2017, was sentenced to four years andsix months in prison also on the charge of “violating regulations on themanagement and use of State assets, causing waste and losses,” under Article219 of the 2015 Penal Code.
Five other accomplices of Thanh, who wereformer officials at the transport ministry or Cuu Long company, got sentencesranging from two years to four years in prison.
Meanwhile, Dinh Ngoc He, alias Ut Troc, formerDeputy Director-General of Thai Son Corporation under the Ministry of NationalDefence, got a life sentence on the charge of “fraud, appropriation of assets”and 13 years in prison for “abuse of position and power to influence others forpersonal gain,” with the aggregate sentence of life in prison.
The other 12 defendants charged with “fraud,appropriation of assets” were given imprisonments ranging from 10 years inprison to two years suspended sentence.
According to the indictment of the SupremePeople’s Procuracy, the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway project was funded bythe State budget, so the toll collection right belongs to the State and themoney earned from the sale of the right is the State’s asset.
In his capacity as transport minister, Thangcreated conditions for Ngoc He’s company to win the bidding for the expresswaytoll collection right although Thang was aware that that the company wasoperating at a loss and had no financial capacity.
Ngoc He used falsified documents for thebidding, and after winning it, he continued to commit fraudulent acts aiming toappropriate State assets.
Other defendants who were subordinates ofThang violated regulations on bidding to let He win the bidding. Their actscreated the conditions for He to appropriate tolls worth more than 725 billionVND.
The construction of the 62km-long HCMCity-Trung Luong expressway started in 2004 and the route was commissioned in2010./.
The sentence was given down on December 22 bythe People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City at the first instance trial on the casewhich started on December 14.
Although Thang did not admit guilty to hischarge of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets,causing waste and losses,” the judge council said his violations were clearlyseen in documents submitted to him by his subordinates, or those signed by him.
Thang’s unlawful acts had created theconditions for Dinh Ngoc He to commit frauds and appropriate assets, the judgessaid, affirming that the former official must bear the main responsibility inthe case and as such, a stricter penalty than those for his subordinates at thetransport ministry.
Together with the previous sentence for himin another case, Thang will have to serve a total 30 years in prison.
Nguyen Hong Truong, who was Deputy Ministerof Transport from April 2007 to August 2017, was sentenced to four years andsix months in prison also on the charge of “violating regulations on themanagement and use of State assets, causing waste and losses,” under Article219 of the 2015 Penal Code.
Five other accomplices of Thanh, who wereformer officials at the transport ministry or Cuu Long company, got sentencesranging from two years to four years in prison.
Meanwhile, Dinh Ngoc He, alias Ut Troc, formerDeputy Director-General of Thai Son Corporation under the Ministry of NationalDefence, got a life sentence on the charge of “fraud, appropriation of assets”and 13 years in prison for “abuse of position and power to influence others forpersonal gain,” with the aggregate sentence of life in prison.
The other 12 defendants charged with “fraud,appropriation of assets” were given imprisonments ranging from 10 years inprison to two years suspended sentence.
According to the indictment of the SupremePeople’s Procuracy, the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway project was funded bythe State budget, so the toll collection right belongs to the State and themoney earned from the sale of the right is the State’s asset.
In his capacity as transport minister, Thangcreated conditions for Ngoc He’s company to win the bidding for the expresswaytoll collection right although Thang was aware that that the company wasoperating at a loss and had no financial capacity.
Ngoc He used falsified documents for thebidding, and after winning it, he continued to commit fraudulent acts aiming toappropriate State assets.
Other defendants who were subordinates ofThang violated regulations on bidding to let He win the bidding. Their actscreated the conditions for He to appropriate tolls worth more than 725 billionVND.
The construction of the 62km-long HCMCity-Trung Luong expressway started in 2004 and the route was commissioned in2010./.
VNA
