Specifically, the trial panel sentenced the mastermind of the case, Mai Thi Hong Hanh, ex-Director and Chairwoman of the Board of Members of Xuyen Viet Oil, to 11 years in prison for the crime of “giving bribes” and 17 years for “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing loss and wastefulness.” The combined sentence is 28 years in prison, 2 years less than the first-instance verdict.
According to the High-level People’s Procuracy in HCM City, all seven defendants presented valid new mitigating circumstances, justifying lighter sentences. The court is now considering reducing penalties across the board, as proposed by the prosecutors.
Legal proceedings have been launched against three more defendants when the Investigation Security Agency is expanding investigations into violations of Xuyen Viet Oil Company, Lieutenant General To An Xo, Spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said on April 3.