Today the appeal trial of the major case causing damage of 543 billion VND

This morning (September 27) the appeal hearingPhu Tho Ethanol caseThe High People's Court in Hanoi will bring the case to trial to consider the appeals of 6 defendants, including: Vu Thanh Ha (former General Director of PetroVietnam Oil and Biofuel Joint Stock Company - PVB); Pham Xuan Dieu (former General Director of Vietnam Oil and Gas Construction Joint Stock Company - PVC); Nguyen Xuan Thuy (former Deputy Head of Project Investment Department, PVB); Khuong Anh Tuan (former Deputy Head of Commercial Department, PVB), Le Thanh Thai (former Head of Business Department, PVB) and Hoang Dinh Tam (former Chief Accountant, PVB).

The defendants at the first instance trial.

Judge Vo Hong Son presided over the trial. Representatives of the Hanoi High People's Procuracy attending the trial as prosecutors included Ms. Le Thi Thu Ha and Mr. Vu Hong Diep. In addition, there were 9 lawyers participating in defending the defendants and people with related rights and obligations.

In this appeal, 5 defendants appealed, asking for a reduction in their sentences, hoping that the appellate court would consider exempting them from civil liability. Defendant Le Thanh Thai appealed for a suspended sentence. In their appeals, most of the defendants hoped that the appellate court would consider the context of the crime, consider the conditions of incomplete awareness, and lack of information about the project.

Previously, in March 2021, the Hanoi People's Court opened the first instance trial to try the defendants in this case. The panel of judges determined that the defendants colluded with each other to allow the PVC/Alfa Laval/Delta-T consortium led by Trinh Xuan Thanh, despite its incompetence, to still implement the Phu Tho Ethanol project. Due to the consortium's incompetence and weaknesses in many aspects, the project has now been suspended, causing a loss of VND 543 billion.

The first instance court sentenced defendant Dinh La Thang to 11 years in prison for "Violating regulations on investment in construction works causing serious consequences". Combined with the previous sentence of 30 years in prison, the total sentence applied to defendant Dinh La Thang is 30 years in prison.

Also sentenced for the crime of "Violating regulations on investment in construction works causing serious consequences" with defendant Dinh La Thang were 9 defendants including: Vu Thanh Ha was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison; Tran Thi Binh (born in 1958, former Deputy General Director of PVN) 36 months in prison but given a suspended sentence, probation period of 60 months; Pham Xuan Dieu 3 years and 6 months in prison; Nguyen Ngoc Dung (born in 1958, former Deputy General Director of PVC) 3 years in prison; 3 defendants: Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Khuong Anh Tuan, Hoang Dinh Tam were all sentenced to 30 months in prison; Do Van Quang (born in 1972, former Head of the Economic Planning Department - later the Economic Bidding Department of PVC) was sentenced to 28 months in prison; Le Thanh Thai 24 months in prison. Defendant Trinh Xuan Thanh was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "Violating regulations on investment in construction works causing serious consequences" and 8 years in prison for "Abusing position and power while performing official duties", the total sentence for these two crimes is 18 years in prison.

Combined with the previous sentences, the total sentence for defendant Trinh Xuan Thanh is life imprisonment. Defendant Do Van Hong (born in 1967, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Kinh Bac Petroleum Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company - PVC Kinh Bac) was sentenced to 4 years in prison for "Abusing position and power while performing official duties". Combined with the previous sentence of 13 years in prison, the total sentence for defendant Do Van Hong is 17 years in prison./.