The Hanoi People’s Court on February 5 sentenced former Chairman of the Board of Directors of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC) Trinh Xuan Thanh to life imprisonment for the charge of “asset embezzlement” at PetroVietnam Power Land JSC (PVP Land). 

Trinh Xuan Thanh (centre) and other defendants listen to the verdict on February 5

Thanh’s accomplices, Dao Duy Phong , former Chairman of PVP Land’s Board of Directors, was given 16 years, while Nguyen Ngoc Sinh, former PVP Land General Director was sentenced  to 13 years and Dinh Manh Thang, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Song Da Oil and Gas Investment and Commerce JSC was imposed nine years in prison.

Le Hoa Binh, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of 1/5 Construction and Services JSC and Minh Ngan JSC, and Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, former chief accountant of 1/5 Construction and Services JSC and Minh Ngan JSC were sentenced to eight-year and six-year imprisonments, respectively.

Binh and Thoa are serving their sentence of life imprisonment on charge of “fraudulent appropriation of property” at 1/5 Construction and Services JSC following verdict No. 134 issued on March 15, 2017. Therefore, the combined penalty for the two is life imprisonment.

Meanwhile, both Thai Kieu Huong, former Deputy General Director of Vietsan Investment JSC and Huynh Nguyen Quoc Duy, a self-employed trader, were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

All these defendants are charged with “asset embezzlement” in accordance with Article 278, Clause 4, Count a of the 1999 Penal Code (now is Article 353, Clause 4, Count a of the 2015 Penal Code).

[PVC trial highlights rule of law]

The jury concluded that Thanh, Thang, Huong, Phong, Sinh and Duy contacted and connived with Binh and Thoa to implement the signing of a transfer contract at the Nam Dan Plaza project with the price of 34 million VND (1,506 USD) per sq.m, lower than the deposit price of 52 million VND (2,303 USD) per sq.m, to appropriate a differential sum of more than 87 billion VND (3.86 million USD). 

Of the money, Thanh arrogated 14 billion VND, while Thang pocketed 5 billion VND; Phong, 8 billion VND; and Sinh, 2 billion VND. 

Dang Si Hung, chief of PVP Land’s economic and planning division, who died during the investigation, appropriated 20 billion VND. Due to his death, the Supreme People’s Procuracy decided to cancel the investigation against him.

The defendants received a total of 49 billion VND from the deal.

According to the verdict, among the defendants, Thanh played the decisive role in the case, followed by Phong and Sinh.-VNA