Persons accused of involving in wrongdoings at Advanced International JSC to stand trial

Hanoi (VNA) – Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, Chairwoman and General Director of the Advanced International Joint Stock Company (AIC), and 35 others will be brought to trial on December 21 for their accused involvement in wrongdoings at the Dong Nai General Hospital, the AIC, and some others.

The first-instance trial, to be held by the Hanoi People’s Court, is scheduled to last for 20 days.

Nhan and Tran Manh Ha, Deputy General Director of the AIC, were prosecuted for “violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences” and “offering bribes”.

Tran Dinh Thanh - former Secretary of the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee, and Dinh Quoc Thai - former Chairman of the Dong Nai provincial People’s Committee, face the charge of “accepting bribes”.

Phan Huy Anh Vu, former Director of the Dong Nai General Hospital and Director of the provincial Health Department, was charged with “violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences” and “accepting bribes”.

Other defendants were accused of “abusing position and power while performing duties”, “violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences”, and “lacking a sense of responsibility, causing serious consequences”.

More than 30 lawyers have registered to defend the accused. The court also appointed lawyers to defend the eight who have fled and been put on the wanted list, including Nhan and Ha.

According to the indictment issued by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, Nhan had mastermined, led, and directly engaged in violations of bidding regulations, including setting up relations with officials in Dong Nai province, including Thanh, Thai, Vu, and Bo Ngoc Thu (then Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment), to suggest collusion and directly or indirectly order her employees to offer money and material profit totaling 43.8 billion VND (nearly 1.8 million USD at the current exchange rate) to these persons so that the AIC could illegally win bidding.

She reportedly had directed Deputy General Directors Hoang Thi Thuy Nga and Tran Manh Ha, along with employees, to collude with the investor and consulting units to facilitate the AIC to win bidding and falsify bidding papers so that this company won 16 bidding packages worth over 665 billion VND of the Dong Nai Hospital project, causing losses of more than 152 billion VND.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy held that Nhan’s escape has caused difficulties for the settlement of the case.

Investigation agencies have put her on the national and international wanted lists. They have also issued an appeal for Nhan to turn herself in to receive leniency./.