The first-instance trial of the MobiFone – AVG deal in Hanoi in December 2019 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The High-Level People’s Court inHanoi will hold an appeal trial from April 13 to 16 for the case involvingMobiFone Telecommunications Corporation’s purchase of a 95 percent share inAudio Visual Global JSC (AVG).
Eleven of the 14 defendants filed appeals,asking for clemency and reduced sentences. Later, two of them withdrew theirrequests, namely former General Director of MobiFone Cao Duy Hai and formerDirector of the AMAX investment consultancy and valuation company Vo Van Manh.
Among the nine defendants going to court thistime, former Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son wasgiven life imprisonment for “taking bribes” and 16 years in prison for“violating regulations on the management and use of public investment capital,causing serious consequences”. The total sentence is life imprisonment.
Former Deputy General Directors of MobiFone HoTuan and Nguyen Manh Hung received a prison sentence of two and a half yearseach for “violating regulations on the management and use of public investmentcapital, causing serious consequences”, according to the first-instance trial’sverdict.
Three defendants did not appeal against theirpenalties, namely former Minister of Information and Communications Truong MinhTuan, former head of the ministry’s Department of Enterprise Management PhamDinh Trong, and former Chairman of the AVG Board of Directors Pham Nhat Vu.
Tuan was sentenced to eight years in prison for“taking bribes” and another six years for “violating regulations on themanagement and use of public investment capital, causing serious consequences”.The total sentence for him is 14 years behind bars.
Trong received a five-year term for “violatingregulations on the management and use of public investment capital, causingserious consequences”. Meanwhile, Vu has to spend three years in jail for“giving bribes”.
The Hanoi People’s Court held the first-instancetrial from December 16 to 28 last year.
It found that in 2015, MobiFone, run by theMinistry of Information and Communications, bought 95 percent of AVG’s sharesfor 8.9 trillion VND (375 million USD), much higher than their actual value.The deal caused a loss of over 6.59 trillion VND (277 million USD) to theState./.
VNA
