Trinh Xuan Thanh's son appeals to reclaim his villa
While Mr. Trinh Xuan Thanh claimed he did not embezzle 14 billion VND, his eldest son proposed to return some of his assets.
The Hanoi People's Court has just transferred the case file of Trinh Xuan Thanh (former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Oil and Gas Construction Joint Stock Corporation - PVC) and 21 accomplices in the case of embezzlement of assets and intentional violation of State regulations on economic management causing serious consequences at PVC to the High People's Court in Hanoi for research and appeal trial.
To date, 15 out of 22 defendants have filed appeals. In addition, Mr. Trinh Hung Cuong (son of defendant Trinh Xuan Thanh, participating in the first instance trial as a person with related rights and obligations) appealed to have his property returned.
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Defendant Trinh Xuan Thanh at the first-instance trial of the second case. Photo: VNA. |
Previously, on January 22, the first instance judgment stated the seizure of the assets of defendant Trinh Xuan Thanh, including Villa No. AD02-16, Vinhomes Riverside Eco-Urban Area; Apartment No. 15F05, The Costa 32-34 Tran Phu (Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province); Mazda CX5 car given to his son for safekeeping. In addition, the court also froze the accounts and savings books of Trinh Xuan Thanh and his wife, and their two sons (Trinh Hung Cuong, Trinh Hung Phuong); froze the securities of Mr. Thanh and his wife, not allowing them to be transferred to ensure execution of the judgment.
Disagreeing with the content of this judgment, Mr. Trinh Hung Cuong filed a request to return Villa No. AD02-16, Vinhomes Riverside Eco-Urban Area; Apartment No. 15F05, The Costa 32-34 Tran Phu, and Mazda CX5 car. Mr. Trinh Hung Cuong said that these were assets given to him by his grandparents and were not subject to execution of the judgment.
Previously, after the first instance verdict, the defendantTrinh Xuan Thanh and Phung Dinh Thuc (former General Director of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group - PVN) appealed for their innocence. Defendant Thanh said that he did not participate in the acts of intentionally violating the State's regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences, and embezzlement of property. Defendant Thanh received a combined sentence of life imprisonment for these two crimes.
Defendant Phung Dinh Thuc (sentenced to 9 years in prison for intentionally violating State regulations on economic management causing serious consequences, Clause 3, Article 165 of the 1999 Penal Code) said that the court had not individualized the behavior and responsibility of each defendant in the PVN Board of Directors, leading to a failure to properly assess the defendant's role and responsibility in directing the implementation of the Thai Binh 2 Thermal Power Plant project, making the defendant feel he was wrongly accused.
Most of the remaining defendants appealed and asked for a reduction in prison sentences, a reduction in civil compensation, and consideration of additional mitigating circumstances... Among them are defendants: Dinh La Thang, Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Vu Duc Thuan, Nguyen Anh Minh...
The appeal of defendant Truong Quoc Dung (former Deputy General Director of PVC) did not request a reduction in the prison sentence but only requested a reduction in the civil compensation and civil court fees. The defendant received 17 months in prison for the crime of intentionally violating the State's regulations on economic management causing serious consequences, and had to pay 2.3 billion VND in compensation and 79 million VND in civil court fees.
