Nguyen Thanh Tai, former Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - The People’s Court of HCM City on September 16 opened a first-instance trial against Nguyen Thanh Tai, former Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, and a number of other defendants, on charges of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”.
The other defendants are Le Thi Thanh Thuy, President of the Hoa Thang Nam (Mayflower) One-Member Limited Company and the Lavenue Investment Joint Stock Company; Dao Anh Kiet, former director of the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Truong Van Ut, former deputy head of the department’s land management section; and Nguyen Hoai Nam, former secretary of District 2’s Party Committee.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the land plot at 8-12 Le Duan Street in District 1, which has a total area of over 4,800 sq m, is owned by the State and assigned to the HCMC Housing Management and Trading Company for management and leasing. On November 20, 2007, the municipal People’s Committee approved the construction of a hotel and part of a commercial centre in accordance with Decision No 09/2007/QD-TTg.
As he was in a relationship with defendant Thuy, Tai directed Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, who served as Director of the HCMC Housing Management and Trading Company and is currently wanted, as well as Kiet, Nam, and Ut, to commit several violations of regulations.
They intentionally changed the investment policy to allow private companies to contribute capital to implement the project, and decided to lease out the land at 8-12 Le Duan without competitive bidding.
The indictment said that Tai must bear the primary responsibility, as he instructed and signed many illegal documents to shift the ownership of the land plot from the State to a private company, thus causing major losses to the State. Thuy was Tai’s accomplice and incited him to sign the illegal documents, while Kiet, Nam, and Ut followed Tai’s directions to propose the municipal People’s Committee approve incorrect recommendations./.
VNA
