At the appeal trial on May 7 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Supreme People’s Court on May 7 began the appeal trialof the case on “asset embezzlement” and “deliberately violating Stateregulations on economic management, causing severe consequences” atPetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVC), a subsidiary of the national oil and gasgiant PetroVietnam (PVN).
Beforethe start of the appeal trial, Trinh Xuan Thanh, former chairman of PVC, withdrewhis lodged appeal against the first-instance sentence handed down by the HanoiPeople’s Court.
Under the first instance sentence, Thanh was given life imprisonment on thecharge of asset embezzlement and 14 years for “deliberately violating Stateregulations on economic management, causing severe consequences”. The combinedpenalty for both counts is life imprisonment.
Thanhalso asked for permission to be absent at the appeal trial due to healthreasons. Therefore, the court will not consider Thanh’s case at the appealtrial.
As a result, the appeal trial will look at the appeals of 14 out of 22defendants in the PVC case. Among them, Dinh La Thang, former chairman of thePVN, and Phung Dinh Thuc, former Director General of PVN, claimed they areinnocent. Thang was given 13 years in jail and Thuc nine years on the charge of“deliberately violating State regulations on economic management, causingsevere consequences”.
Otherappellants asked for reduced sentences and the amount of damages that they wereordered to pay in the case under the Hanoi People’s Court’s first instanceverdict.
Thefirst instance trial on the case, which drew public concern and was under thesupervision of the central steering committee for anti-corruption, was held inHanoi from January 8-22 this year.-VNA
VNA
