After two days of questioning, the Hanoi People’s Procuracy announced indictments against 29 defendants in five bid-rigging cases related to Thuan An Group on 10/9.

Pham Thai Ha, former deputy director of the National Assembly Office and aide to a former National Assembly chairman, faces the third-highest sentence recommendation in the case. He is charged with abusing his position for personal gain. He has repaid 1.2 billion VND after being accused of accepting 750 million VND from Thuan An Group.

Pham Thai Ha (standing). Photo: Danh Lam

Pham Thai Ha (standing). Photo: Danh Lam

Le O Pich, former vice chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee, is charged with abuse of power. The procuracy recommended a 3-4 year prison sentence.

He is accused of accepting a 4 billion VND “commission” from Thuan An Group after illicitly facilitating the company's winning bid for a project worth over 1,100 billion VND, causing losses of 97 billion VND.

The remaining 27 defendants are charged with violating bidding regulations with serious consequences. Nguyen Duy Hung, former chairman of Thuan An Group, faces the most severe sentence recommendation of 10-11 years. Hung is considered the mastermind, his “manipulative” actions corrupting related officials.

Hung “exploited close relationships” with several high-ranking state leaders, asking them to intervene and influence localities and the Ministry of Transport. This helped Thuan An Group secure bids and construction contracts.

The procuracy also accused Hung of directly meeting with project authorities to negotiate percentages, colluding on five projects, causing state losses of over 120 billion VND.

Thuan An Group chairman Nguyen Duy Hung. Photo: Danh Lam

Thuan An Group chairman Nguyen Duy Hung. Photo: Danh Lam

Five former project management board directors from four provinces and the Road Department face prison sentences of 4-7 years. Nguyen Van Thao, former director of the Bac Giang Project Management Board, faces the second-highest recommendation of 6-7 years, after Hung. Thao received 11 billion VND from Thuan An, including 3 billion VND shared with former vice chairman Le O Pich.

The project management directors are accused of creating special, illegal mechanisms for Thuan An Group, receiving commissions after the projects were awarded. Each former director received at least 5 billion VND, with the highest exceeding 9 billion VND. All had repaid the full amount before the trial.

The remaining defendants, considered to have played minor roles or committed less serious offenses under the direction of superiors, face sentences ranging from 18 months suspended to 4 years in prison, including 7 with suspended sentences.

>> Details of the sentences proposed for the 29 defendants

The procuracy considers the case extremely serious, causing significant state losses. The violations stemmed from incomplete state regulations on bidding and the moral decay of officials who, driven by personal gain, were manipulated by businesses, creating interest groups.

The procuracy acknowledged that the amount repaid by the defendants and their families, along with confiscated assets, exceeded the 120 billion VND in damages, requesting the court to handle the case according to regulations on damage recovery.

Representatives of the Hanoi People’s Procuracy at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

Representatives of the Hanoi People’s Procuracy at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

During the two-day questioning, none of the defendants pleaded innocent, all briefly confessing. Hung, the chairman of Thuan An, admitted to exploiting relationships, working externally to secure projects while internally directing staff to falsify documents, collude with investors, and find fake bidders. He also directed the division of commissions and personally delivered bribes after each successful bid.

Hung and several employees argued that some projects had unrealistically low budgets, posing risks and difficulties. However, they proceeded despite potential losses due to requests from local authorities.

Hung claimed that the system of favors was the objective reason why capable companies like his resorted to illegal methods, leading to legal consequences.

Meanwhile, the common defense of the officials who accepted bribes and illegally assisted Thuan An Group was that they were "instructed" by leaders during meals at the leaders' homes. They perceived Thuan An as a "company of central officials."

The project management directors and their staff readily assisted, accepting heavy bags filled with cash, claiming they “didn’t know it was money” upon receiving them.

The deliverers, Hung’s subordinates at Thuan An, also “didn’t know it was money” until their arrest. The presiding judge rebuked their reasoning, stating that their frequent involvement normalized such practices.

Pham Thai Ha gave the briefest statement, only asking for understanding for the "unforeseeable risks" of being an aide to a former National Assembly chairman.

According to the procuracy, the five projects involved in the case are: the Dong Viet bridge project in Yen Dung district, Bac Giang province; the Tuyen Quang - Phu Tho expressway project in Tuyen Quang province; the Vinh Tuy 2 bridge project in Hanoi; the National Highway 14E renovation and upgrade project in Quang Nam province under the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction); and the riverside road connecting the Ha Long - Hai Phong expressway to Dong Trieu town, a key project in Quang Ninh province.

Several related officials and those involved in wrongdoing, who were not present or summoned to court, are being investigated in separate cases.

The trial is ongoing.

Thanh Lam