Delay in the Trial of the Former Chairman of Soc Trang Province

On May 13th, the People’s Court of Soc Trang province opened a first-instance trial to try Vo Thanh Nhan (67 years old), former Chairman of Soc Trang City People’s Committee, for “Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste.”

Twenty-two officials and former officials of the City Party Committee, functional departments, and some wards of Soc Trang City were summoned to court as individuals with related rights and obligations in this case. However, after the procedural part, the trial was temporarily adjourned due to the absence of many summoned individuals. In addition, the defense lawyer for the accused, Nhan, requested a postponement to ensure the rights and interests of the defendant.

According to the case file, during his tenure as Chairman of Soc Trang City People’s Committee (term 2010-2015), Vo Thanh Nhan was accused of allocating land beyond his authority and to ineligible entities, violating regulations on state asset management and use, resulting in loss and waste.

Previously, in August 2022, the Inspectorate of Soc Trang province verified the land allocation in the residential area of Ward 2 (Soc Trang City). It was determined that Vo Thanh Nhan, the then-Chairman of the Soc Trang City People’s Committee, had a limited grasp of land-related legal regulations, lacked inspection and supervision, and placed too much trust in advisory agencies. This led to loose direction and management, violating regulations on land and housing construction.

Specifically, the People’s Committee of Soc Trang City allocated 30 land lots through open bidding but to ineligible entities, without an approved list for resettlement land allocation. Additionally, 50 land lots were allocated without auctioning the land use rights, and 20 land plots were given to Tan Loc private enterprise for building houses for sale without a project investment or signed contract.

The authorities determined that allowing enterprises to invest in housing construction on “clean” land, which had already been invested in infrastructure and land leveling by the state, resulted in illegal profits of over VND 1.9 billion for the enterprise. Moreover, the allocation of land through a public notice for people to apply was also found to be inappropriate and ineligible.

Based on the verification results, the Inspectorate proposed that the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Soc Trang province transfer the case to the provincial police for investigation.

In July 2024, the Investigation Police Agency of Soc Trang province initiated legal proceedings and placed a travel ban on Vo Thanh Nhan for “Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste.”