Director of Hoang Dan Company appeals bribery case involving former Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang

After the preliminary trial, defendant Nguyễn Văn Dân (Director of Hoàng Dân Company) and two co-defendants filed appeals seeking to review civil liability or request a lighter sentence. Earlier this month, the Hanoi People’s Court, after about two weeks of trial in the case of 'bribery and bid-rigging' at the old Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, received appeals from three defendants: Nguyễn Văn Dân (Director of Hoàng Dân Company), Vũ Đình Thịnh (Deputy Director of Hoàng Dân Company) and Trần Văn Lăng (Director of Division 2, old Ministry). They asked the appellate court to reconsider civil liability and reduce penalties. In early the month, the first-instance court sentenced Nguyễn Văn Dân (Director of Hoàng Dân Company) to a total penalty of 14 years in prison for the crimes of 'Giving bribes; Violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences; Violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences.' Defendant Nguyễn Văn Dân, Director of Hoàng Dân Company. Defendant Hoàng Văn Thắng (former Deputy Minister) received a 4-year sentence for 'Receiving bribes.' Similarly, defendant Trần Tố Nghị (former Acting Director of the Construction Management Department) was sentenced to 6 years; Nguyễn Hải Thanh (former Deputy Director of the Construction Management Department, also Director of Ban 4) 5 years; Trần Văn Lăng (Director of Ban 2) 13 years. About 20 other defendants were sentenced to one of the three crimes above, with penalties ranging from 30 months in prison to 5 years. Regarding civil liability, the court determined that Dân, as the head of the enterprise, bore the highest responsibility in the company’s activities. He participated in the acts and thus should bear responsibility for the consequences. The panel also accepted the request by Dân’s family to use 175 gold bars to compensate for the damages. The value was converted at the time of enforcement. After offsetting the amounts already mitigated, the court ordered Nguyễn Văn Dân to pay more than 269 billion VND to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment. 'Offense of violating the state’s economic management order' The verdict identified that the irrigation projects’ packages included Package 13 and 17 of Krông Pách Thượng Reservoir Project in Đắk Lắk; Package 36 of Bản Mồng Reservoir in Nghệ An; Package 21 of Bản Lải Reservoir in Lạng Sơn; Package 17 of Cánh Tạng Reservoir in Hòa Bình, undertaken by the old Ministry’s Ban 1, Ban 2, Ban 4 and Ban 8 as the investors. During bidding, winning the bids and executing these packages, defendant Nguyễn Văn Dân leveraged his connections with former Deputy Minister Hoàng Văn Thắng and Trần Tố Nghị (former Acting Director of the Construction Management Department) to 'facilitate introductions and influence' leadership of the Management and Construction Boards to assign the investors. Defendants at the trial. Thereafter, Mr. Dân agreed to pay bribes totaling 40.2 billion VND. The recipients included: former Deputy Minister Hoàng Văn Thắng (4.54 billion); former Acting Director Trần Tố Nghị (13 billion); former Director of Ban 4 Nguyễn Hải Thanh (6.25 billion); former Director of Ban 2 Trần Văn Lăng (13.4 billion). The panel assessed that the acts of the defendants endangered social order, violated the state’s economic management order, and harmed the transparency and accuracy of accounting and financial operations, causing damage to state assets.