Tran Ngoc Linh, 64, former director of EVN Binh Thuan, admitted to receiving over 2.329 billion VND in bribes from Tuan An Group after helping them win 23 bidding packages.
Two former EVN Binh Thuan leaders are accused of directing subordinates to help Tuan An Group win 25 equipment procurement contracts, causing serious budget losses.
Pham Thai Ha, former deputy director of the National Assembly Office and aide to the former National Assembly chairman, was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison by the Hanoi People's Court for accepting bribes to help Thuan An Group win bids.
The prosecutor strongly countered the lawyer's comparison to the Phuc Son bidding fraud case, highlighting a harsher sentence recommendation for Thuan An's chairman despite lower damages.
Lawyer argues Pham Thai Ha's advocacy for Thuan An Group was "wrong but not overly dangerous," not warranting the heavy sentence proposed by the procuracy.
Defendant Nguyen Duy Hung suggested that the violations in five state-funded projects were partly due to the long-standing 'ask-give' mechanism, and hopes the case will be a lesson for other businesses to proactively avoid similar situations.
Prosecuted for illicitly securing two multi-billion dong projects, former chairman Nguyen Duy Hung claimed in court that he only accepted the low-value projects as a favor to local authorities.
Thuan An Group won five billion-dollar contracts thanks to three preferential treatments: backdoor dealings with officials to tailor bidding documents; secret pre-bid evaluations; and tampering with sealed bids.
