Vu 'Nhom' and many former key officials of Da Nang appear in court
According to the Investigation Agency, the total damage to the State caused by Vu "nhom", 2 former Chairmen of Da Nang and other defendants is more than 22,000 billion VND.
On January 2, the Hanoi People's Court held a trial for the case of "Violating regulations on management and use of State assets causing waste and loss" and "Violating regulations on land management" occurring in Da Nang City. Among the defendants are Phan Van Anh Vu (aka Vu "nhom", born in 1975); 2 former Chairmen of Da Nang, Tran Van Minh (born in 1955) and Van Huu Chien (born in 1954).
The total number of defendants in this case is 21. Judge Liu Yujing presided over the trial and there were 2 senior prosecutors and one intermediate prosecutor participating in the prosecution.
 |
| Mr. Tran Van Minh and Nguyen Huu Chien. |
Land worth 11,300 billion was sold to Vu "aluminum" for 87 billion VND
According to the indictment, Vu "nhom" took advantage of his acquaintanceship with former Da Nang officials to acquire a total of 22 public properties and real estate projects at prices many times cheaper than their actual value.
With the help of two former Chairmen of Da Nang, Tran Van Minh and Van Huu Chien, Vu "nhom" has acquired a series of public real estates in Da Nang with many "incentives" such as not auctioning land use rights, applying unit prices for land use rights that are not at market prices, reducing 10% of land use fees for changing land use purposes from production and business land to residential land against regulations...
According to the investigation agency, the actions of Vu "nhom" and a group of former officials of Da Nang City caused a loss of VND22,047 billion to the State. A typical example is Vu "nhom" taking over the 29-hectare Da Phuoc International Urban Area Project. The value of the project was estimated at VND11,322 billion, but by many tricks, Vu "nhom" only spent VND87 billion to take over this project.
Many defendants are key officials of Da Nang City on trial
In addition to Mr. Tran Van Minh and Mr. Van Huu Chien, there are many defendants who once held key leadership positions in the People's Committee of Da Nang City. Typical defendants include: Nguyen Thanh Sang (born in 1957) - former Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Finance; Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (born in 1957) - former Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Finance; Nguyen Dieu (born in 1958) - former Director of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Tran Van Toan (born in 1957) - former Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Le Canh Duong (born in 1975) - former Director of the Da Nang City Investment Promotion and Support Board...
Among the former Da Nang officials mentioned above, the indictment emphasized the role of Mr. Tran Van Minh (Chairman of Da Nang from 2006 to 2011) and Van Huu Chien (Chairman of Da Nang from 2011 to 2015) in assisting Vu "Nhom" in seizing public land and large-scale projects.
 |
| Defendant Phan Van Anh Vu. |
Specifically, Mr. Tran Van Minh signed 6 documents allowing a 10% reduction in land use fees and allowing the change of land use rights recipients' names, contrary to Government regulations and land law regulations.
Mr. Tran Van Minh directly and with other defendants committed crimes in 6 out of 7 real estate projects in Da Nang related to Vu "nhom") including: 29-hectare project in Da Phuoc International Urban Area, An Don Park project (old), Habour Ville project, An Cu 2 residential area expansion project and An Cu 3 expansion project, 3.77-hectare Truong Sa road project, 1.5-hectare Truong Sa road project and Phu Gia Compound project, causing damage to the State of more than 18,000 billion VND.
In addition to these projects, Mr. Minh and his accomplices helped Vu "nhom" illegally acquire 15 out of 18 public houses and lands, including: No. 2 Hai Phong, No. 37 Pasteur, 39 Pasteur, 106 Tran Phu, 7 Bach Dang, 20 Bach Dang, 36 Bach Dang, 38 Bach Dang expansion, 158 Bach Dang, 100 Bach Dang, 45 Nguyen Thai Hoc, 47 Nguyen Thai Hoc, 73 Nguyen Thai Hoc, 57 Le Duan, 319 Le Duan, 22 Co Giang, 34 Hoang Van Thu. The defendants' actions caused damage to the State at the 18 public houses and lands mentioned above with the amount of 2,100 billion VND.
Mr. Minh's successor is Mr. Van Huu Chien (Chairman of Da Nang from 2011 to 2015). During his time as Vice Chairman of Da Nang, Mr. Chien was involved in 19 public houses and lands. During his time as Chairman of Da Nang, the Investigation Agency determined that he was involved in two public houses and lands, including 121 Phan Chau Trinh and 16 Bach Dang.
The trial is expected to take place over 2 weeks, starting January 2, 2020, with no breaks on Saturdays or Sundays./.
