Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Court on July 11 issued verdicts for 41 defendants in a major corruption case involving real estate firm Phuc Son Group JSC and senior former provincial officials.
Nguyen Van Hau, Chairman and CEO of Phuc Son Group, was charged with giving bribes and violating bidding and accounting regulations, causing serious consequences. He received a combined jail sentence of 30 years - 14 years for bribery, nine years for the bidding violation, and seven years for accounting irregularities.
According to the court, Hau used bribes to gain unlawful advantages for his companies - Phuc Son Group and Thang Long Company - particularly in projects across former Vinh Phuc and Quang Ngai provinces.
Nine high-profile former officials were convicted of receiving bribes, including Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, former Secretary of the Party Committee of Vinh Phuc province (before being merged with Phu Tho and Hoa Binh) who received 14 years in prison; Le Duy Thanh, former Chairman of the Vinh Phuc People’s Committee 12 years; and Pham Hoang Anh, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Vinh Phuc Party Committee, and Dang Van Minh, former Director of the Department of Transport and former Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Ngai province (before being merged Kon Tum province under the name of Quang Ngai) with eight years each.
Other former leaders of Vinh Phuc and Quang Ngai provinces received prison terms ranging from four to seven years
The court found that Lan accepted nearly 48 billion VND (1.83 million USD) and Thanh received 50 billion VND from Hau in exchange for directing or approving decisions that favoured Hau’s companies, including extending project deadlines, illegally awarding land without public bidding, and bypassing zoning regulations.
Another group of eight defendants including former provincial leaders from Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho were convicted of abuse of power and position while performing official duties. Their jail terms ranged from suspended sentences to three years in prison.
Seventeen others, including former district officials and corporate executives, were found guilty of violating bidding regulations, with penalties from two to six years in prison.
Additionally, five defendants were convicted of violating accounting rules, including senior executives at Phuc Son Group, who received sentences between two and four and a half years.
The court concluded that senior officials in Vinh Phuc and Quang Ngai abused their power in exchange for bribes. They enabled Phuc Son Group and Thang Long Company to gain unlawful advantages in a range of state-funded construction and urban development projects.
One project, the Vinh Phuc wholesale market, was at risk of cancellation under the 2014 Investment Law, but provincial leaders unlawfully intervened to protect Hau’s interests.
The court highlighted serious misconduct, such as approving zoning changes, extending deadlines, awarding land without auctions, and approving projects without proper planning authorization. It said such large-scale corruption undermines transparency in bidding processes and harms the business environment, as well as socio-economic development, sparking public outrage./.
