On November 21, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City continued the first-instance trial of Mai Thi Hong Hanh, former Director and Chairman of the Members’ Council of Xuyen Viet Oil Trading, Transportation, and Tourism Company Limited (Xuyen Viet Oil), along with 14 co-defendants.
The trial proceeded to the examination phase with the participation of representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Procuracy.
The defendants were indicted on multiple charges, including Bribery, Receiving Bribery, Violation of Regulations on the Management and Use of State Assets, and Abuse of Position and Power to Gain Benefits for Others.
The defendants in court
At the trial, the representative of the Procuracy requested that the defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh clarify her proposal to use assets held under another person’s name to remedy the consequences of the case.
In response, defendant Hanh affirmed her original proposal. “This is a small asset, worth only about VND 10 billion, held under the name of Mr. Do Xuan Thien. It is a villa located in Mui Ne, with an area of about 667 square meters,” the defendant stated.
Defendant Hanh further revealed that the land use right certificate for this property was one of the 13 certificates confiscated by the investigating agency.
She asserted that apart from this villa, she owned no other personal assets held under someone else’s name. Her offer to submit this “hidden asset” was to demonstrate her sincerity to the Court.
Additionally, the defendant mentioned that Xuyen Viet Oil Company also owned three tanker trucks, each valued between VND 1 billion and VND 7 billion, which could be used to remedy the consequences of the case.
She pledged that these assets were not mortgaged anywhere but needed her family members to confirm the exact number of vehicles, whether it was three or four.
Defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh
During the trial, when questioned about her testimony regarding bribery involving eight individuals, including former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, former Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee Le Duc Tho, former Director of the Nghi Son Refinery Distribution Branch Phan Kien Anh, and others, defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh affirmed that her statements were made voluntarily and that she had not been subjected to coercion or torture.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, from 2016 to 2022, defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh committed bribery on 22 occasions, totaling nearly VND 32 billion, to gain advantages for her company.
Explaining her motive for bribery, defendant Hanh stated that as an investor, her primary goal in offering money was to bring benefits to her company, especially in contexts of scarce goods or when expanding business relationships.
She elaborated that bribery was not just about giving money but also about skillfully choosing appropriate occasions to create opportunities for meetings: “Even though I was giving money, I had to choose a holiday or festive occasion to have a reason to meet those individuals,” she said.
Additionally, according to the case file, the investigating agency is temporarily holding VND 470,000 USD confiscated from Mr. Le Duc Tho. Defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh stated that this was her personal savings, unrelated to the offense. Therefore, she expressed her desire to use this money to remedy the consequences of the case.
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