Hanoi (VNA) – Prosecutors on June 27 proposed a 30-year prison term for Chairman and CEO of Phuc Son Group JSC Nguyen Van Hau at the high-profile trial of 41 defendants involved in the corruption case related to the firm.
Accordingly, Hau faces 17–18 years in prison for giving bribes; 15–16 years for violations of bidding regulations, causing serious consequences; and 11–12 years for violations of accounting regulations, causing serious consequences. The combined sentence recommended for him totals 30 years. Earlier, on the June 26 hearing, Hau acknowledged that the indictment from the Supreme People's Procuracy, which charged him with the three offences, is accurate and fair. He also admitted to unlawfully gaining 1.16 trillion VND (44.37 million USD).
Le Duy Thanh, former Chairman of the Vinh Phuc provincial People's Committee, would spend 9–10 years in prison, while Pham Hoang Anh, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the the provincial Party Committee, would get a jail term of 7–8-years. Both faced the same charge as Lan.
Other defendants, including former officials and business executives, would receive sentences ranging from suspended terms to up to eight years in prison on various charges such as violating accounting and bidding regulations, receiving bribes, abuse of power while performing official duties, and abuse of influence over public officials for personal gain.
Prosecutors said from 2010 to 2023, Hau and his accomplices carried out a range of serious offenses in Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Quang Ngai, and Vinh Long provinces. These offenses included bribery, abuse of power, manipulating bidding processes, falsifying accounting records, and profiting from influence over officials.
To secure key real estate and infrastructure projects in Vinh Phuc and Quang Ngai, Hau allegedly met and handed bribes to provincial leaders and officials to get project approval and contractor selection.
According to the indictment, the man personally disbursed 132 billion VND (including 72.5 billion VND and 2.62 million USD) in bribes to secure projects for Phuc Son Group and its subsidiary Thang Long Investment, Trade and Real Estate JSC Company.
On charges of violating bidding regulations, prosecutors said Hau instructed Pham Ngoc Cuong, Deputy General Director of Phuc Son Group, along with other employees, to collude with project owners during the bidding and evaluation process.
To manipulate the outcome, Hau directed the use of three shell companies - Tu Lap, Mien Trung, and Yen Lac - as collusive bidders to create the illusion of competition while ensuring that Phuc Son won the contracts.
After securing contracts, Hau illegally transferred them to other entities for a profit, causing the state to suffer losses exceeding 459 billion VND.
Regarding violations of accounting regulations, prosecutors said Hau operated dual accounting systems to hide revenue and evade taxes. These systems tracked off-the-books payments from clients involved in real estate projects run by Phuc Son and Thang Long companies in Vinh Phuc.
The group allegedly falsified financial records, manipulated land transactions, and concealed income to avoid tax obligations, enabling Hau to finance illegal business activities and use funds for personal gain.
These accounting irregularities alone led to an estimated 504 billion VND in state losses, in violation of Vietnam’s Accounting Law, Tax Administration Law, and other relevant legal provisions.
Meanwhile, Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, in her capacity as Secretary of the Vinh Phuc provincial Party Committee, was accused of receiving 25 billion VND and 1 million USD in bribes from Hau in exchange for steering key decisions in favour of Phuc Son. These included approvals for project bidding, establishing Thang Long Company as a project developer, and artificially lowering land valuations for a wholesale market project. These actions caused state losses exceeding 200 billion VND.
Le Duy Thanh allegedly received 20 billion VND and 1.3 million USD from Hau on four separate occasions. In return, Thanh facilitated Hau’s real estate development plans, notably the controversial wholesale market project that resulted in significant state asset depletion.
Pham Hoang Anh allegedly accepted 400 million VND and 20,000 USD in bribes from Hau. Hoang Anh then used his position to ensure that Thang Long company retained its project rights, shielding the company from regulatory penalties or revocation./.
Phuc Son Group case: Nguyen Van Hau admits all charges
He acknowledged that the indictment from the Supreme People's Procuracy, which charged him with three offences - violating accounting regulations, causing serious consequences; violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences; and giving bribes – is accurate, fair, and correct.
