Former Chairman of Khanh Hoa Nguyen Chien Thang sentenced to a total of 22.5 years in prison.

On the afternoon of January 31, the provincial People’s Court of Khanh Hoa sentenced 9 defendants who were all former officials and leaders of the province for violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste, occurring at the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu project in Bai Duong, Pham Van Dong Street, Nha Trang City.

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The High-Level People’s Court sentenced 9 defendants in the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu violation case.

Specifically, the High-Level People’s Court sentenced defendant Nguyen Chien Thang (former Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee) to 5 years in prison; sentenced defendants Dao Cong Thien (former Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee) and Vo Tan Thai (former Director of the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment) to 3 years in prison; sentenced defendant Nguyen Ngoc Tam (former Vice Director of the provincial Department of Finance) to 2.5 years in prison and Vu Xuan Thieng (former Vice Director of the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment) to 2 years in prison. Defendants Tran Quang Buu (former Vice Director of the provincial Department of Construction), Nguyen Van Nhut (former Vice Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment), Tran Sy Quan (former Deputy Head of the provincial Tax Department) and Le Huy Toan (former Vice Chairman of the Nha Trang City People’s Committee) were all sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.

The sentence determined that the 9 defendants in the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu case had committed many violations in the choice of investors, issuance of investment certificates, agreement on architectural plans and planning. These defendants also violated in the issuance of decisions on land transfer, land lease, land valuation, land price approval and issuance of land use right certificates without auction or bidding. The acts of these defendants caused a loss to the state budget at the time of 2015 amounting to over 5.6 billion VND; and at the time of January 6, 2022 (the date of discovery of violations) amounting to over 356 billion VND.

This sentence was handed down by the High-Level People’s Court of Khanh Hoa province after determining that the acts of the defendants were dangerous to society, directly violated the order of management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste. The Court also acknowledged that the defendants had caused negative public opinion, diminished people’s trust in the Party and the State, and therefore required a strict punishment. After considering all the mitigating and aggravating circumstances of each defendant, the court sentenced them to the above prison terms.

According to the High-Level People’s Court, the land area in Bai Duong must be reclaimed, but the Thien Trieu Joint Stock Company and now the Muong Thanh Vien Trieu Joint Stock Company have already completed construction and put it into operation. The Court believed that the Muong Thanh Corporation was a direct beneficiary from the violations of the defendants, and the defendants proactively paid a total of 190 million VND to remedy the consequences. Therefore, the Court ordered the Muong Thanh Investment Corporation Nha Trang to pay the remaining amount of over 356.7 billion VND to the State budget.