On 10/12, the Da Nang People's Court opened the trial of Pham Nguyen Minh Trung, 42, from Vinh Long, and his older brother Pham Nguyen Minh Tan, former deputy director of SHB Soc Trang Branch. They face charges of property fraud.

According to the indictment, in may 2020, through an introduction, To Ngoc Vu, residing in Can Tho, sought to buy a house on Tieu La street in central Da Nang from Mr. Son for 34 billion dong. Vu placed a 500 million dong deposit, with the remaining amount to be guaranteed by a bank. When Vu requested a property appraisal, Tan informed him that he had no remaining loan limit, halting the transaction.

The hai defendants, Pham Nguyen Minh Trung and Pham Nguyen Minh Tan, in court. Photo: Doan Chi

Tan then met directly with Mr. Son, providing false information that the transaction could only proceed if the house was transferred to his younger brother, Pham Nguyen Minh Trung, to secure a loan. To build trust, Tan created fraudulent documents, including a three-party transfer agreement and a "notice of credit approval" for Trung with a limit of 33,5 billion dong, without headquarters approval.

Mr. Son and his wife, along with Trung, proceeded to a notary public to sign the contract. Trung made a 500 million dong deposit.

Subsequently, Mr. Son introduced another property on Ton Duc Thang street for sale at 22 billion dong. Trung placed a 500 million dong deposit, with the remainder promised to be guaranteed by SHB Soc Trang Branch. Tan again forged a credit agreement. Mr. Son and his wife then signed a transfer contract and handed over all property documents to Trung.

With the documents in hand, Trung mortgaged the Ton Duc Thang property to Dao Duy Hoa and Ha Thanh Hung to borrow 11 billion dong, without informing the actual owners. When he failed to repay the debt, this property was transferred to Dao Huy Hoang.

Following this, Tan gave the red book (land use rights certificate) for the Tieu La property to Trung, who then mortgaged it to borrow 23 billion dong from Hoang. Trung signed a transfer contract, promising to cancel it upon full repayment. However, he was unable to repay the debt, resulting in the house being sold for 23 billion dong.

In total, the hai brothers, Tan and Trung, only transferred 660 million dong to Mr. Son and his wife. Verification at SHB headquarters confirmed that all credit documents bearing the signature and seal of deputy director Pham Nguyen Minh Tan were fraudulent, self-created, and signed outside his authority.

Investigative agencies determined that the hai brothers defrauded Mr. Son and his wife of over 35,3 billion dong.

After mot day of trial, the judicial panel decided to postpone the hearing due to new developments regarding the handling of evidence, specifically the hai properties, and the involvement of individuals with related rights and obligations.

* Victim names have been changed

Ngoc Truong