Today, retrial of scaffolding collapse case at Formosa Ha Tinh

(Baonghean.vn)- The four defendants prosecuted in this case are Lee Jae Myeong and Kim Jong Wook, Korean nationals, along with Nguyen Anh Tuan and Nguyen Thai Duc.

On December 16 and 17, the People's Court of Ha Tinh province reopened the first-instance criminal trial of the case of violating labor safety regulations causing the collapse of scaffolding at the Formosa project site, Vung Vung Economic Zone, Ky Anh town, killing 13 people and injuring 29 others.

The four defendants on trial in this case are Lee Jae Myeong (62 years old) and Kim Jong Wook (43 years old, both Korean nationals), Nguyen Anh Tuan (27 years old, residing in Quang Hai commune, Ba Don town, Quang Binh), and Nguyen Thai Duc (30 years old, from Ky Trung commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh).

All four defendants were prosecuted for "Violating regulations on labor safety" under Clause 3, Article 227 of the Penal Code.

As reported, at 7:50 p.m. on March 25, at the construction site of the Son Duong wharf caisson (wharf No. 7) located in the construction area of ​​the Formosa Group project, a tragic scaffolding collapse occurred, killing 13 workers from Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and injuring 29 others.

Three of the four defendants were present at the adjourned trial on November 16, 2015.

When constructing the above project, NIBELC International Construction and Labor Supply Joint Stock Company provided technical human resources (subcontractors) to Samsung C&T Joint Stock Company (under Samsung Group - the construction unit).

Scaffolding system imported by Samsung C&T Corporation (temporarily imported, re-exported) from abroad for construction for the investor of Formosa Project.

On the afternoon of March 31, the Ha Tinh Provincial Police Department issued a decision to prosecute a criminal case for violating labor safety regulations (according to Article 227 of the Penal Code) that occurred at the construction site of a caisson casting project for the Formosa project.

Through the investigation process, it was found that before the heartbreaking scaffolding collapse, the scaffolding in Lane 2 had an accident, shaking dangerously, Mr. Kim Jong Wook still let the workers continue working. When the scaffolding shook violently, making a loud noise, the workers were scared and ran down from the scaffolding, then Mr. Lee Jae Myeong went up to check.

After checking, Mr. Lee Jae Myeong forced the workers to continue climbing the scaffolding to work, then the scaffolding collapsed, resulting in the death of 13 workers and injury of 29 workers.

At the time of the scaffolding collapse, Tuan and Duc were both contract workers operating the hydraulic system of Nibelc Company. Mr. Lee Jae Myeong was the foreman (manager of workers) of Samsung C&T Company. Mr. Kim Jong Wook was the site manager of Samsung C&T Company working at the Lane 1 and Lane 2 scaffolding, at the Son Duong wharf area, part of the Formosa Project.

The indictment of the People's Procuracy of Ha Tinh province determined that the actions of Mr. Kim Jong Wook and Lee Jae Myeong were to detect a very high risk of unsafe work but not stop the workers from working but continue to require them to work, causing serious consequences as above. This action violated point C, clause 1, article 140 of the Penal Code of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Although Tuan and Duc discovered the incident, they did not promptly report it to the person in charge of the construction site, violating Point C, Clause 2, Article 138 of the Penal Code and Point a, Clause 1, Article 17 of Decree 95/2013 on cases of preventing occupational accidents.

Baonghean.vn will continue to update the trial.

Khanh An