The Hanoi People’s Procuracy has lodged an appeal over part of the municipal court’s first-instance verdict against Danang-based business tycoon Phan Van Anh Vu, alias Vu Nhom, and his accomplices, the local media reported.

Phan Van Anh Vu, ex-chairman of Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC, stands at the court

Vu and his accomplices had abused their position and power while on duty to acquire land and landed homes of the State at concessional prices, without going through the due process of bidding, and received other preferential treatment.

Thus, the handover of these seven projects violated the law and resulted in losses for the State.

By the time he was prosecuted, Vu had managed, used and benefited from the seven projects. He had claimed these properties for himself and his relatives, and transferred some of them to the ownership of other people to earn illegal profits.

This means that the State was stripped of the right to manage and use these projects during the period they were managed by Vu, resulting in bigger losses.

According to the procuracy, Vu and his accomplices had caused losses of VND1.16 trillion for the State, not just VND135 billion as calculated by the court.

In addition, it is not in right legal process to revoke the seven apartments, plots of public land and property projects. The procuracy stated that the HCMC and Danang governments had illegally handed over these projects to Vu, so the court should base its decision on the 2013 Law of Land to issue the verdicts on these projects.

Specifically, the HCMC and Danang governments’ decisions on land handovers must be abolished. The two cities should be assigned to recall, manage and exploit six land lots and properties on such land sites, in line with the law, including those at 319 Le Duan Street and 16 Bach Dang Street, a land lot on Ngo Quyen Street and another on a coastal road in Son Tra District in Danang City, as well as two land lots and land-attached properties at 8 Nguyen Trung Truc Street and 15 Thi Sach Street in HCMC.

The Ministry of Public Security and the HCMC government will propose the prime minister a plan to revoke the land lot at 129 Pasteur Street in HCMC.

Moreover, it is baseless to confiscate the money from the bank accounts of Vu, Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC and Chan Phong Company, and the amount that Vietnam Sea Products Corporation owes Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC, as these amounts were not proven to be generated from Vu’s violations, according to the procuracy.

SGT