Defendant Nguyễn Lộc An. VNA/VN S Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Court on Thursday handed down sentences to a former senior trade official and three others for their roles in a bribery case involving the issuance of fuel trading licences, concluding a two-day trial that exposed corruption within the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Nguyễn Lộc An, former Deputy Director of the ministry’s Domestic Market Department, received an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes. Combined with a prior four-year sentence from a separate conviction, An will serve a total of 15 years in prison. The court also imposed a fine of VNĐ50 million (US$1,925) and barred him from holding positions related to commercial trading for two years after his release.

Ex-Chairman of the Long Hưng Trading and Services Co. Ltd. Nguyễn Tuấn Quỳnh was sentenced to five years for giving bribes, while Trần Trác Việt Đức, Director of the Bách Khoa Việt Trading, Consultancy, Investment and Construction JSC, and Đỗ Thị Tuyết Nga, the company’s chief accountant, each faced a five year jail term for violating regulations on State asset management, causing losses and wastefulness.

According to the indictment by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, An, in his role as head of the inspection team for petrol trading licence applications from January to September 2015, abused his authority to solicit and accept bribes.

He received VNĐ9.2 billion ($354,460) from Trần Thị Loan Phương, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Bách Khoa Việt, and VNĐ5 billion from Quỳnh, to secure certificates of eligibility for their companies to act as petroleum distributors and to obtain import-export licenses, despite their failure to meet legal requirements.

The indictment detailed that Phương initially paid An VNĐ200 million to facilitate her company’s license applications. Following his suggestion, she later provided an additional VNĐ9 billion to ensure the necessary documents were prepared and submitted to the ministry. Phương’s actions constituted the crime of “giving bribes”.

However, Phương later confessed and submitted a formal complaint that led to An’s prosecution. In recognition of her cooperation and the critical role she played in uncovering the case, prosecutors decided to grant her immunity from criminal liability. VNS