Abusing the authority of the village head to forge contracts.

Taking advantage of his position as a member of the task force serving the investment, construction, and upgrading project of the pumping station, village head Le Tuan Sang forged two contracts.

Recently, the Hanoi People's Court held an appeal trial for defendant Le Tuan Sang (38 years old, residing in Hoang Long commune) – former head of Thanh Xuyen village, Hoang Long commune, Phu Xuyen district, Hanoi – on the charge of Falsification in Public Service.

According to the first-instance judgment, on April 1, 2011, Sang was elected village head. Seven months later, taking advantage of his position as a member of the working group serving the investment, construction, and upgrading project of the Dao Xa pumping station in Hoang Long commune, Sang arbitrarily altered the terms of two contracts so that the contractor could receive compensation and support for land clearance.

Illustrative image.

According to the initial ruling, Sang photocopied two copies of the contract. Before photocopying, the village head had altered the contract's implementation period.

On December 27, 2011, Sang brought these contracts to the People's Committee of Hoang Long commune for authentication. Afterward, Sang submitted two certified copies to the Land Clearance Board of Phu Xuyen district.

Having secured the contract, the project investor received over 240 million VND in compensation and support. Upon discovering the irregularities, the Land Clearance Committee recovered nearly 220 million VND from the project investor.

Sang confessed that, due to his relationship with the developer's family, he made repairs himself in order to extend the time and receive more money.

Before being prosecuted, Sang had already been disciplined by the Party and the government. Sang alleged that allowing the investor to receive the support money involved many other individuals who were not punished… The village head is not subject to the provisions of corruption law, therefore the prosecution is incorrect; the accused is innocent and not guilty.

Considering that the defendant's act of independently amending the two contracts constituted the crime of Falsification in Public Service, the trial court sentenced Sang to 3 years in prison. Sang appealed.

Considering Sang's appeal, the Hanoi People's Court stated that the defendant's actions infringed upon the proper functioning and reputation of state administrative agencies.

However, the defendant did not act for personal gain. Although the defendant continued to deny the act, the appellate court found sufficient grounds to convict Sang of the crime and therefore rejected the appeal, upholding the first-instance judgment.

According to VOV