Five former officers of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) were brought to trial in Hà Nội yesterday for alleged public property-related crimes in Đà Nẵng City and Hồ Chí Minh City.— VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Five former officers of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) were brought to trial in Hà Nội yesterday for alleged public property-related crimes in Đà Nẵng City and Hồ Chí Minh City.
The defendants include Phan Văn Anh Vũ (born in 1975, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bắc Nam 79 Construction company, former Chairman of the Nova Bắc Nam 79 company, former Senior Lieutenant Colonel and deputy head of a division at General Department V of the MPS), Nguyễn Hữu Bách (born in 1963, former Colonel and deputy head of Department B61 under General Department V), and Phan Hữu Tuấn (born in 1955, former Lieutenant General and Deputy General Director of General Department V).
They were prosecuted for “abusing position and power while performing duties” by the Supreme People’s Procuracy.
Meanwhile, Bùi Văn Thành (born in 1959, former Lieutenant General and Deputy Minister of the MPS) and Trần Việt Tân (born in 1955, former Senior Lieutenant General and Deputy Minister of the MPS) were charged with “showing irresponsibility, causing serious consequences”.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, while operating Bắc Nam 79 Construction and Nova Bắc Nam 79 companies, Phan Văn Anh Vũ, in the name of the MPS, asked ministries, sectors and local administrations to illegally rent land to him and transfer the right to use land and property on land of public housing and land projects in prime positions in Đà Nẵng City and HCM City to him.
He then made them his own properties or his relatives’ and transferred them or put them under shared ownership with other people to earn profits, causing losses of more than VNĐ1.159 trillion (about US$50 million) to the State.
Phan Hữu Tuấn and Nguyễn Hữu Bách proposed or submitted documents seeking the MPS leaders’ approval that asked ministries, sectors and the People’s Committees of Đà Nẵng and HCM City to help Vũ’s two companies rent land or transfer the right to use land and property on land. Their actions caused more than VNĐ1.134 trillion in losses to the State, the procuracy said.
The Supreme People’s Procuracy blamed both then Deputy Ministers of the MPS Bùi Văn Thành and Trần Việt Tân for lacking responsibility in management. It also attributed those violations partly to the lax management and infringement of regulations on public housing and land by leaders of the Đà Nẵng and HCM City People’s Committees.
Thanh’s irresponsibility led to nearly VNĐ223 billion in losses while Tân’s caused some VNĐ155 billion in losses, the supreme procuracy added.
The trial, carried out by the Hà Nội People’s Court, is scheduled to last until tomorrow.—VNS