On the evening of 9/2, after several hours of trial, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court sentenced Huynh Kim Tuoc, former director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances (CSTA), to 5 years and 6 months in prison for abusing his position and power while performing official duties.

As accomplices, defendants Le Huy Son, former deputy head of the General Administration Department; Le Thi Phuong, accountant; and Do Dinh Ngoc Bich, treasurer, each received 5-year prison sentences. Two other defendants were sentenced to two years in prison for the same offense.

Huynh Kim Tuoc at court today. *Photo: Binh Nguyen*.

The Ho Chi Minh City CSTA is a public service unit under the Department of Science and Technology. It possesses legal personality, its own seal, and bank account, and functions in researching, applying, and transferring technology to serve state management.

This unit was assigned to manage several prime land plots in Ho Chi Minh City, including the land at 237 Dien Bien Phu Street (Xuan Hoa ward), 176/9A Le Van Sy Street (Phu Nhuan ward), and several plots in the High-Tech Park (Tan Phu ward).

According to the indictment, in his capacity as director, Huynh Kim Tuoc exploited his authority to manage public assets and his responsibility to support startups by signing contracts titled "workplace support" with numerous businesses.

Case files show that from 4/2021 to 12/2022, Tuoc instructed his subordinates to sign 18 contracts and appendices under the guise of "business cooperation and support." These were, in fact, land leases, collecting monthly rent without reporting or seeking approval from the managing agency. The initial contracts did not specify costs, but the defendant later signed appendices stipulating varying collection rates, essentially constituting the leasing of the Center's assets.

Authorities determined that the defendant failed to establish a public asset utilization plan and did not report to the Department of Science and Technology or other competent management agencies. The total amount collected, over 2,4 billion VND, was kept off the books, not declared for tax purposes, and used to pay allowances for leaders, staff, hospitality, and unit operations. Of this, Tuoc personally benefited 437 million VND.

At today's trial, the defendants admitted their wrongdoing. Huynh Kim Tuoc stated that he and the other defendants had recovered almost all of the illicit gains and requested the court to consider leniency for himself and his former subordinates.

By Binh Nguyen