Specifically, the Procuracy proposed that the Trial Panel should punish former Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang for 10-11 years in prison for violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing loss and waste.
As for Mr. Dinh Ngoc He (Ut “bald“), the Procuracy asked the first-instance court to impose life imprisonment as fraudulently appropriating property, 13-14 years in prison for abusing positions and powers to influence other people for self-seeking, and the combined punishment is life imprisonment.
Why was Mr. System sentenced to life imprisonment?
The Vietnamese media reported that the Procuracy said that former military lieutenant colonel Dinh Ngoc He “stubbornly denied the crime, declared crookedly, dragging the family members into the crime …”.
In terms of identity, Mr. He has received 12 years in prison in the previous two sentences, so a severe punishment should be applied for him.
Specifically, the Procuracy’s representative stated his opinion on the proposal to the court to declare its fine level as follows:
“He is a soldier but has established many businesses, is the mastermind of deceitful acts, sophisticated tricks to appropriate state property. The defendant has no mitigating circumstances.”
Regarding civil liability, the Procuracy asked the court to force Mr. He to compensate for the entire VND725 billion ($30.9 million) appropriated from the state and compensate VND3 billion in the purchase of villa Licogi 13 Company.
Mr. Dinh La Thang pleaded not guilty
According to the Vietnamese press, at the trial, Mr. Dinh La Thang did not acknowledge the behavior identified in the indictment, Mr. Thang said that the indictment attributed him to committing 6 acts, 5 of them incorrect, leading to the whole indictment incorrect.
Specifically, Mr. Thang does not acknowledge the relationship with Dinh Ngoc He (ie Ut “bald“, 49 years old, former deputy director of Thai Son Corporation, Ministry of National Defense), no economic or political relations with Dinh Ngoc He, did not introduce subordinates to approaching He to participate in the auction of Trung Luong expressway toll right. Mr. Thang denied the testimony of Mr. Duong Tuan Minh, general director of Cuu Long Company.
According to the indictment, when Mr. Dinh La Thang was still minister of transport, in this role, Mr. Thang signed a document to send to the Prime Minister requesting to receive the transfer of the right to collect tolls of this expressway and continue to find a partner to sell the right to collect fees to recover capital.
In February 2012, after the Prime Minister approved in writing to assign the Ministry of Transport to sell the right to collect tolls for the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong expressway, “derived from personal motives,” Thang was said to have called Mr. Duong. Tuan Minh to introduce Mr. Dinh Ngoc He and create conditions for Mr. He to win the bid.
The indictment stated that the auction results of the right to collect fees did not comply with the provisions of the law through documents by Mr. Nguyen Hong Truong, the deputy minister who was directly in charge and directed to sent to Mr. Dinh La Thang.
Accordingly, Mr. He made fraudulent documents and financial statements of two related subsidiaries from loss to profit to win the bid.
Mr. Thang, Mr. He, Mr. Truong, and a number of other officials under Mr. Thang were accused of damaging the state property VND725 billion in the Trung Luong expressway project.
Although Mr. Thang pleaded not guilty, the Procuracy representative said that Mr. Thang’s misconduct was included in the case file, prosecuting the right person according to the law. Therefore, the Procuracy proposed to sanction former Transport Minister Dinh La Thang, a prison sentence of 10-11 years for violations of management and use of state property, causing wastefulness.
Mr. Thang is serving a 30-year prison term in two cases occurring at PetroVietnam Construction Joint Stock Corporation, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group and Ocean Commercial Joint Stock Bank. At the beginning of the year, he continued to be prosecuted in the case of appointing a contractor to implement the Phu Tho Ethanol project, causing damage worth more than VND600 billion.
In addition, in this morning’s trial, the Procuracy proposed to sentence former Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong to 6-7 years in prison for the same crime. According to the Procuracy, Mr. Truong is considered to be sincere in declaring, having a good personality, and committing crimes by believing in the staff level, so his punishment is reduced.
As an accomplice, Mr. Nguyen Chi Thanh (acting chief of Finance Department, Ministry of Transport) and Le Trung Cuong (officer) were recommended 3-4 years in prison; Duong Tuan Minh and Duong Thi Tram Anh 5-6 years in prison; Nguyen Thu Trang (former deputy head of Investment and Bidding Management Division – Cuu Long Corporation) 3-4 years in prison.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
