Ex-Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang at the court (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The High-Level People’s Court in Hanoi decided toreduce the prision sentence for ex-minister of industry and trade Vu HuyHoang by one year to 10 years on charges of “violating regulations on themanagement and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”, duringan appeal trial on January 24.
His violations are related to a case that occurred at theMinistry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Saigon Beer - Alcohol- Beverage JSC (Sabeco) and Ho Chi Minh City.
Former Director of the MoIT’s Department of LightIndustry Phan Chi Dung also had his sentence reduced by one year to eight years.
Former Deputy Director of the HCM City'sDepartment of Planning and Investment Lam Nguyen Khoi was given a jail term of fouryears, down six months, and former head of the Department ofPlanning and Investment's Infrastructure Development Division Le Quang Minhalso had his term shortened by six months to three years.
The board of juries also asked for allocating the land lotNo.2-4-6 on Hai Ba Trung street, District 1 to the municipal People’s Committeefor management in line with the law.
According to the indictment from the SupremePeople’s Procuracy, Sabeco, which is under the MoIT’s management, was givenmore than 6,000 sq.m of land at No. 2-4-6 on Hai Ba Trung street in downtownHCM City for production and business purposes.
However, Hoang, Dung, and former Deputy Ministerof Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa, who has fled, directed subordinates atthe ministry and Sabeco to carry out procedures for using land use rights andSabeco's money as capital contributions to set up Sabeco Pearl, a joint venturebetween Sabeco and a number of private enterprises, to implement a projectbuilding a hotel, a trade and convention centre, and office space for lease onthe land plot.
After Sabeco completed legal proceduresfor the joint venture’s investment and proposed the HCM City People’s Committeeapprove the addition of officetel and housing functions to this project, theMoIT ordered the company to divest its entire stake in this project.
The move was illegal and resulted in the loss ofover 2.7 trillion VND (117.3 million USD) to the State./.
