The High-Level People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City opened an trial for defendants who filed appeals in a case related to wrongdoings in the transfer of “golden land plot” at No.8-12 Le Duan street in District 1.
Defendant Nguyen Thanh Tai at the trial. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – The High-Level People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh Cityopened an trial for defendants who filed appeals in a case related towrongdoings in the transfer of “golden land plot” at No.8-12 Le Duan street in District 1.
The defendantsinclude former Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Tai, Chairwoman of the Hoa Thang Nam (Mayflower)One-Member Limited Company and the Lavenue Investment Joint Stock Company LeThi Thu Thuy, former Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment Dao Anh Kiet, former deputy head of the department’s land managementsection Truong Van Ut, and former Secretary of the District 2’s Party CommitteeNguyen Hoai Nam. Accordingto the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the land plot has a totalarea of over 4,800 sq m, which is owned by the State and assigned to the HCM CityHousing Management and Trading Company for management and leasing. On November20, 2007, the municipal People’s Committee approved the construction of a hoteland part of a commercial centre in accordance with the Decision No09/2007/QD-TTg. As he was in a relationship with defendant Le Thi Thu Thuy,Tai directed Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, who served as Director of the HCM City HousingManagement and Trading Company and is currently wanted, as well as Kiet, Nam,and Ut, to commit several violations of regulations. They intentionally changed the investment policyto allow private companies to contribute capital to implement the project, anddecided to lease out the land at 8-12 Le Duan without competitive bidding. The indictment said that Tai must bear the primaryresponsibility, as he instructed and signed many illegal documents to shift theownership of the land plot from the State to a private company, thus causingmajor losses to the State. Thuy was Tai’s accomplice and incited him to signthe illegal documents, while Kiet, Nam, and Ut followed Tai’s directions topropose the municipal People’s Committee approve incorrect recommendations. At the trial by themunicipal People’s Court in September 2020, Tai was sentenced to eight years inprison, Le Thi Thanh Thuy five years, Kiet five year, Nam four years and Ut three years behindbar, on charges of “violating regulations onthe management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”. The appeal trialwill last till December 1./.
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 suspended the first-instance trial for the case of law violation involving the land lot at 57 Cao Thang street being exchanged for the land lot at 185 Hai Ba Trung street in the city after two days of hearing.
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on March 26 decided to return dossiers of the law violation case involving the land lot at 57 Cao Thang street being exchanged for the land lot at 185 Hai Ba Trung street in the city for further investigations as new evidence and details have been found.
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Defendant Nguyen Thanh Tai at the trial. (Photo: VNA) 
