HÀ NỘI — The appellate panel of the Supreme People’s Court in Hà Nội on Wednesday handed down its verdict in the case involving Thuận An Group and several related units and localities.

The court accepted the appeals for leniency from 14 individuals who filed petitions and also reduced the sentences for eight individuals who either did not file petitions or had previously filed petitions but later withdrew them.

Nguyễn Duy Hưng, former chairman of Thuận An Group, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, reduced from 10 years and six months, for the offence of 'violating regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences' at the first-instance trial in September.

At the hearing, Hưng paid an additional VNĐ47 billion in compensation for damage, while Trần Anh Quang, former general director of Thuận An Group, paid an additional VNĐ500 million. As a result, the consequences of the case were fully remedied.

For the same offence, Quang was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, reduced from seven years, and Nguyễn Khắc Mẫn, former deputy general director of the company, to three years’ imprisonment, reduced from four years.

The trial panel noted that the defendants who filed appeals had made honest confessions, shown remorse, and presented their difficult family circumstances. Some defendants also provided new details to support their appeals.

At the original trial, the court found that during the process of participating in tenders, winning bids and executing project packages in former Bắc Giang Province, former Tuyên Quang Province, Quảng Ninh Province, Hà Nội, and at the former Ministry of Transport, Hưng, former chairman of Thuận An Group, abused his relationships with leaders of central and local agencies to seek introductions, intervention and influence over provincial-level leaders and the former Ministry of Transport, thereby facilitating his company’s participation in tenders, winning of bids, and project implementation.

The jury assessed that Hưng bore the highest level of responsibility in the case. He had exploited his relationships with leaders of central and local agencies to interfere in bidding activities; used money to influence officials and civil servants at project management boards and People’s Committees of several related provinces to secure winning bids; and directed employees of Thuận An Group to commit violations during the bidding process.

The acts committed by the defendants in the case were deemed particularly serious, violating the regulations on objectivity and transparency in bidding activities, adversely affecting economic development and the credibility of state agencies, and causing losses to the State amounting to more than VNĐ120 billion (US$4.56 million). VNA/VNS