Hoang The Trung, former Director of the management board of the Da River water supply system investment and construction project, at the trial (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Court opened on March 5 thefirst-instance trial for nine defendants accused of being responsible for the18 successive ruptures of the Da River water pipelines in the capital city.
The defendants include Hoang The Trung (former Director of the management boardof the Da River water supply system investment and construction project),Nguyen Van Khai (former Deputy Director of the management board), and TruongTran Hien (former head of the materials and equipment division of themanagement board).
Also on trial are Tran Cao Bang (former Director of the Vinaconex Glass FiberReinforced Polyester Pipe JSC) and Vu Thanh Hai (former head of the productiondivision, former workshop foreman, and former Deputy Director of the VinaconexGlass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Pipe JSC).
The other defendants are Do Dinh Tri (former official of the Vietnam Water,Sanitation and Environment JSC (VIWASE) under the Ministry of Construction, andformer chief of the consultant and monitoring team at the Da River water supplyproject), Nguyen Bien Hung (former official of VIWASE, former deputy head ofthe consultant and monitoring team), Hoang Quoc Thong (former official ofVIWASE, former overseer at the Da River water supply project), and Bui MinhQuan (Deputy Director of the equipment construction and business company underthe VIWASE, former overseer at the Da River water supply project).
They were prosecuted for violating constructionregulations causing serious consequences as stipulated in Point b of Clause 2under Article 229 of the 1999 Penal Code.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Da Riverwater supply project, invested by the Vietnam Construction and Import-ExportJoint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex), was built from 2004 to April 2009.
From February 4, 2012 to October 2, 2016, 23 fiberglass-reinforced compositepipelines were broken for 18 times, forcing the Vinaconex Water Supply company– the operator of the pipeline system – to spend more than 16.6 billion VND(732,000 USD) to fix the broken lines.
The broken pipelines halted the supply of more than 1.74 million cu.m. of waterto 177,000 households in Hanoi for a total of 386 hours.
The inspection conclusion on April 15, 2015 confirmed that the ruptures werecaused by violations in the pipeline production process and the management andmonitoring of the pipeline construction.
During the investigation, the police agency for investigation under theMinistry of Public Security also launched criminal proceedings against sevenpersons for the charge of violating construction regulations causing seriousconsequences. They are Phi Thai Binh (Chairman of the Vinaconex board ofdirectors), Nguyen Van Tuan (member of the board of directors and GeneralDirector of Vinaconex), Hoang Hop Thuong, Vu Dinh Cham and To Ngoc Thanh(members of the board of directors), Lai Van Bich (Director of the projectmanagement board), and Nguyen Duc Luu (head of the investment division ofVinaconex).
They allegedly decided to change the pipeline material from ductile iron tofiberglass-reinforced composite when they had not verified the effectiveness ofthe change. They also allegedly assigned the Vinaconex Glass Fiber ReinforcedPolyester Pipe JSC to produce and supply pipelines to the project when the firmhad just been established and not had enough capacity to carry out the work.
However, inspectors of the Construction Ministry said on September 30, 2016that the change of material did not cause the ruptures, and the assignment ofthe work to the Vinaconex Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Pipe JSC was in linewith the accused’ s competence and the project investment format.
On December 14, 2017 the Supreme People’s Procuracy overturned the criminalproceedings against the seven abovementioned persons.
The trial is scheduled to last through March 15.-VNA
The defendants include Hoang The Trung (former Director of the management boardof the Da River water supply system investment and construction project),Nguyen Van Khai (former Deputy Director of the management board), and TruongTran Hien (former head of the materials and equipment division of themanagement board).
Also on trial are Tran Cao Bang (former Director of the Vinaconex Glass FiberReinforced Polyester Pipe JSC) and Vu Thanh Hai (former head of the productiondivision, former workshop foreman, and former Deputy Director of the VinaconexGlass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Pipe JSC).
The other defendants are Do Dinh Tri (former official of the Vietnam Water,Sanitation and Environment JSC (VIWASE) under the Ministry of Construction, andformer chief of the consultant and monitoring team at the Da River water supplyproject), Nguyen Bien Hung (former official of VIWASE, former deputy head ofthe consultant and monitoring team), Hoang Quoc Thong (former official ofVIWASE, former overseer at the Da River water supply project), and Bui MinhQuan (Deputy Director of the equipment construction and business company underthe VIWASE, former overseer at the Da River water supply project).
They were prosecuted for violating constructionregulations causing serious consequences as stipulated in Point b of Clause 2under Article 229 of the 1999 Penal Code.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Da Riverwater supply project, invested by the Vietnam Construction and Import-ExportJoint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex), was built from 2004 to April 2009.
From February 4, 2012 to October 2, 2016, 23 fiberglass-reinforced compositepipelines were broken for 18 times, forcing the Vinaconex Water Supply company– the operator of the pipeline system – to spend more than 16.6 billion VND(732,000 USD) to fix the broken lines.
The broken pipelines halted the supply of more than 1.74 million cu.m. of waterto 177,000 households in Hanoi for a total of 386 hours.
The inspection conclusion on April 15, 2015 confirmed that the ruptures werecaused by violations in the pipeline production process and the management andmonitoring of the pipeline construction.
During the investigation, the police agency for investigation under theMinistry of Public Security also launched criminal proceedings against sevenpersons for the charge of violating construction regulations causing seriousconsequences. They are Phi Thai Binh (Chairman of the Vinaconex board ofdirectors), Nguyen Van Tuan (member of the board of directors and GeneralDirector of Vinaconex), Hoang Hop Thuong, Vu Dinh Cham and To Ngoc Thanh(members of the board of directors), Lai Van Bich (Director of the projectmanagement board), and Nguyen Duc Luu (head of the investment division ofVinaconex).
They allegedly decided to change the pipeline material from ductile iron tofiberglass-reinforced composite when they had not verified the effectiveness ofthe change. They also allegedly assigned the Vinaconex Glass Fiber ReinforcedPolyester Pipe JSC to produce and supply pipelines to the project when the firmhad just been established and not had enough capacity to carry out the work.
However, inspectors of the Construction Ministry said on September 30, 2016that the change of material did not cause the ruptures, and the assignment ofthe work to the Vinaconex Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Pipe JSC was in linewith the accused’ s competence and the project investment format.
On December 14, 2017 the Supreme People’s Procuracy overturned the criminalproceedings against the seven abovementioned persons.
The trial is scheduled to last through March 15.-VNA
VNA
