Phan Van Anh Vu

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

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

Investigationsreveal 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 withlow prices, along with seven real estate projects valued at tens of trillionsof VND.

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

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

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

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

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

He was sentenced to17 years in prison for “abusing position and power to appropriate assets” and eightyears for “deliberately disclosing State secrets” in another case./.VNA