Nguyen Van Dan, director of Hoang Dan Company, is currently on trial at the Hanoi People's Court in a case involving former deputy minister of agriculture and rural development Hoang Van Thang.

Director Dan is the only person indicted on three charges: bribery, violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences, and violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences.

Dan's company specializes in agricultural construction projects. The Supreme People's Procuracy alleges that he paid 40.2 billion VND in bribes to win bids on four projects, causing 251.7 billion VND in damages to state assets.

Defendant Nguyen Van Dan is accused of causing approximately 350 billion VND in damages to the state. Photo: Danh Lam

According to the indictment, the individuals who received money from Dan include: former deputy minister Thang (4.54 billion VND); former acting director of the Construction Management Department Tran To Nghi (13 billion VND); former director of Board 4 Nguyen Hai Thanh (6.25 billion VND); and former director of Board 2 Tran Van Lang (13.4 billion VND).

Director Dan also used two accounting systems to legitimize expenses, violating accounting regulations and causing nearly 100 billion VND in damages to state assets.

>>List of 23 defendants

"I never expected such serious consequences"

Testifying on the afternoon of March 30, Dan admitted to knowing former deputy minister Thang. In 2017, after learning about the Ban Mong irrigation lake project in Nghe An, he visited Thang's home to seek assistance, presenting a gift bag containing 200,000 USD (equivalent to 4.5 billion VND).

Recounting his interaction with the former deputy minister, Dan stated, "Mr. Thang said he would support me if I did a good job. I gave him this money voluntarily; Mr. Thang did not request it."

Dan placed the 200,000 USD in a handbag on a coffee table, saying it was a gift without specifying the amount. Thang accepted it without comment.

Dan asked Thang for advice on "expenses for ministry leaders" and was told to contact Tran To Nghi, who was then the acting director of the Construction Management Department, to discuss specific percentage rates.

"Mr. Nghi said it would be necessary to share 3-7% of the contract value," Dan testified, adding that Nghi also introduced him to Nguyen Hai Thanh (currently a fugitive), who was then deputy director and director of Board 4, promising future thank-you gifts.

Tran To Nghi, former acting director of the Construction Management Department, formerly under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is accused of receiving 13 billion VND in bribes. Photo: Danh Lam

Through these connections, Dan gradually became acquainted with several officials in the agriculture and irrigation sectors. The "thank-you" money grew through five bidding packages, totaling over 40 billion VND.

"If you had not offered to pay 3-7%, would you have won this bidding package?" asked presiding judge Le Quang Chieu. After a few seconds of thought, Dan replied, "Probably not."

When questioned about the details of his offenses, he mostly stated "I don't remember" but admitted to the charges. Dan said he committed the crimes due to "a lack of understanding in management and never expected such serious consequences. If I had known, I would not have violated the law."

Offers to sell gold to compensate for damages

Investigators seized 175 gold taels from Director Dan's home, which were identified as 99.96% pure gold, weighing a total of 6.56 kg, along with four land use right certificates.

At the trial, Dan confirmed these items and testified about the origin of the money used to purchase the gold. He stated that before entering construction, his family ran a gasoline business that was not profitable. He then sold these gas stations and used the proceeds to buy 175 taels of gold. He could not recall where he purchased the gold.

Dan is accused of causing 251.7 billion VND in damages through bidding fraud and 99.2 billion VND through accounting irregularities, bringing the total damages in the case to approximately 351 billion VND.

He stated that he had submitted an application to the prosecuting authorities requesting to sell the 175 taels of gold currently seized to compensate for damages. Regarding the four properties, Dan requested that the freeze be lifted so his family could transfer them, thereby maximizing compensation for the case's consequences.

During the investigation, his family had already paid 15 billion VND to compensate for damages.

"Currently, the family has 1,000 square meters of land under restricted transaction, but someone has agreed to buy it for over 140 billion VND," he said, adding that he had authorized his daughter to handle the transaction procedures.

His lawyer stated that on March 31, the authorized representative of the buyer would appear in court to provide further details on the commitment to purchase the land.

The trial is expected to last 10 days and is currently on its second day.

Thanh Lam