Fabricating export contracts, causing losses of 38 billion VND.

Mr. Xuan and his subordinates are accused of fabricating 84 export contracts, selling frozen shrimp to the US and causing losses of $2.4 million.

On March 14, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court held a second trial and sentenced Mr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan (59 years old, former director of Cofidec Company under the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee) to 5 years in prison for intentionally violating state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences, and abusing his position and power while performing his official duties.

Previously, the prosecutor's office recommended a sentence of 13-15 years imprisonment for Mr. Xuan.

In connection with the case, Mr. Vo Hue Tran (former director), Mr. Dang Huu Thinh (former head of department), and Mr. Ngo Ngoc Son (former deputy head of import-export department) received sentences ranging from 2 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment to 3 years of imprisonment. The defendants are also jointly liable to compensate the company for all damages.

The defendants in court. Photo: HD

The investigation revealed that, starting in 2004, Director Xuan instructed his subordinates to create fictitious sales contracts with foreign partners to open customs declarations and ship large quantities of frozen shrimp to the United States for consumption. All customer signatures on the contracts were forged by Deputy Department Head Son. This act resulted in a loss of nearly 38 billion VND for the State.

Later that year, Mr. Xuan instructed that 73 million VND be used from the company to pay for travel and accommodation expenses for foreign experts who came to assemble machinery for his family's private company.

In September 2012, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court held the first-instance trial and sentenced former director Xuan to 9 years in prison. His subordinates received sentences ranging from 3 years suspended to 4 years in prison.

This verdict was subsequently appealed by the People's Procuratorate of the same level, seeking a harsher sentence for Mr. Xuan. Six months later, the Appellate Court of the Supreme People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City overturned the verdict and returned the case file to the lower court for reinvestigation and retrial from the beginning due to many unresolved issues.

In court, the defendants claimed that they were under pressure to resolve the issue of excess shrimp inventory at the time, which led them to commit the wrongdoing.

According to VNE