Former public security officers brought to trial in Hanoi

Defendants Phan Van Anh Vu (standing, front row),Nguyen Huu Bach (standing, right, second row), Phan Huu Tuan (standing, left, second row), Bui Van Thanh (standing, right, third row), and Tran Viet Tan (standing, left, third row) at the trial on January 28 (Photo: VNA)

The defendants include Phan Van Anh Vu (born in 1975, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bac Nam 79 Construction company, former Chairman of the Nova Bac Nam 79 company, former Senior Lieutenant Colonel and deputy head of a division at General Department V of the MPS), Nguyen Huu Bach (born in 1963, former Colonel and deputy head of Department B61 under General Department V), and Phan Huu Tuan (born in 1955, former Lieutenant General and Deputy General Director of General Department V).

They were prosecuted for “abusing position and power while performing duties” by the Supreme People’s Procuracy.

Meanwhile, Bui Van Thanh (born in 1959, former Lieutenant General and Deputy Minister of the MPS) and Tran Viet Tan (born in 1955, former Senior Lieutenant General and Deputy Minister of the MPS) were charged with “showing irresponsibility, causing serious consequences”.

According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, while operating the Bac Nam 79 Construction and Nova Bac Nam 79 companies, Phan Van Anh Vu, in the name of the MPS, asked ministries, sectors and local administrations to rent land to him and transfer the right to use land and property on land of public housing and land projects in prime positions in Da Nang city and HCM City to him not in line with State regulations.

He then made them his own properties or his relatives’, transferred them or put them under shared ownership with other people to earn illegal profits, causing losses of more than 1.159 trillion VND (about 50 million USD) to the State.

Phan Huu Tuan and Nguyen Huu Bach proposed or submitted documents seeking the MPS leaders’ approval that asked ministries, sectors and the People’s Committees of Da Nang and HCM City to create conditions for Vu’s two companies to rent land or transfer the right to use land and property on land. Their actions caused more than 1.134 trillion VND in losses to the State, the procuracy said.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy blamed both then Deputy Ministers of the MPS Bui Van Thanh and Tran Viet Tan for lacking responsibility in management. It also attributed those violations partly to the lax management and infringement of regulations on public housing and land by some leaders of the Da Nang and HCM City People’s Committees.

Thanh’s irresponsibility led to nearly 223 billion VND in losses while Tan’s caused some 155 billion VND in losses, the supreme procuracy added.

The trial, carried out by the Hanoi People’s Court, is scheduled to last until January 30.