21 in high-profile corruption case prosecuted

 
Hanoi (VNA) - The Supreme People's Procuracy has prosecuted 21 people involved in the high-profile corruption case relating to Phan Van Anh Vu (also known as Vu Nhom), the agency said on October 18.

They will be tried in the first instance at the Hanoi People's Court, it added.

Prominent among them are two former Chairmen of central Da Nang city Tran Van Minh and Van Huu Chien, who were facing charges of “violating regulations on State asset management and use, causing losses and wastefulness” in accordance with Article 219 of the 2015 Penal Code, and “violating State regulations on land management” in line with Article 229 of the Penal Code.  

Investigations reveal that they had a role to play in 22 public properties purchased by Vu, former Chairman of the Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC, and his accomplices with low prices, along with seven real estate projects valued at tens of trillions of VND.

Between 2002 and 2017, Vu used his own name and those of his relatives to establish, contribute capital to and directly manage five real estate companies, aiming to purchase many property projects as well as public houses and land lots in Da Nang without auctions, at prices lower than those set by the municipal People’s Committee, personally pocketing a specially huge amount of money.  

As Chairmen of the municipal People’s Committee, Minh and Chien were assigned to manage and use State assets, and manage land in the city. However, they violated regulations on State asset management and use, and land management.

They signed into issuance many documents, and instructed their subordinates in land hand-over, reclamation and lease, the transfer of land-use rights and conversion of land-use purposes. They also illegally transferred public houses and land in Da Nang to Vu.

As a result, the amount of State losses in 22 public properties was over 2.4 trillion VND (over 103.5 million USD), and in seven land projects was over 19.6 trillion VND.

Vu, born 1975, a real estate mogul in Da Nang, was charged with several serious criminal offences – deliberate disclosure of State secrets, tax evasion, abuse of power, and violations of State regulations on management and use of State assets, resulting in serious losses and wastefulness.

 

He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for “abusing position and power to appropriate assets” and eight years for “deliberately disclosing State secrets” in another case./.