The defendants in court on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

KHÁNH HOÀ — The People's Court of south-central Khánh Hoà Province on Wednesday sentenced seven former provincial officials to between 30 and 66 months in prison for violating land management regulations after a six-day trial.

They are Nguyễn Chiến Thắng and Lê Đức Vinh, former chairmen of the provincial People’s Committee; Đào Công Thiên, former vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee; Lê Mộng Điệp and Võ Tấn Thái, former directors of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Lê Văn Dẽ, former director of the Department of Construction; and Trần Văn Hùng, former head of the land management division at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Former chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyễn Chiến Thắng got the highest punishment with a sentence of five years and six months in prison.

From 2012 to 2015, the defendants, who were then leaders of the provincial People’s Committee and the departments, illegally handed over land, changed land use purposes, and granted land use right certificates in connection with the Cửu Long Sơn Tự ecological and spiritual tourism project and the Vinh Trung villa project in the province's Nha Trang City, according to the indictment issued by the provincial People’s Procuracy.

Khánh Hoà police started an investigation into the projects on June 8, 2021 and later started legal proceedings and detained the former officials. — VNS