Former Minister of Transport Đinh La Thăng. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Supreme People’s Procuracy has issued an indictment to prosecute former top transport officials and their accomplices involved in the case of Đinh Ngọc Hệ (alias Út trọc), who has been accused of appropriating more than VNĐ725 billion (US$31.3 million) from toll collection on the HCM City-Trung Lương Expressway. 

Former Minister of Transport Đinh La Thăng and former Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyễn Hồng Trường are prosecuted under the indictment. 

Earlier, the investigation police agency under the Ministry of Public Security commenced legal proceedings against and made investigation conclusions on the case of “violating accounting regulations, causing serious consequences; and violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing waste and losses” in the bidding and toll collection of the expressway.

Thăng is thought to be the mastermind of the case. 

In his capacity as transport minister, Thăng allegedly enabled Ngọc Hệ’s company to win the bidding for expressway toll collection although Thăng was aware the company was operating at a loss and had no financial capacity.

Ngọc Hệ allegedly used falsified documents for the bidding, and after winning it, he continued to commit fraudulent acts aiming to appropriate State assets. 

According to the indictment, Thăng’s actions constituted the crime of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing waste and losses". He must bear the main responsibility in the case. 

Trường, for his part, allegedly illegally signed decisions relating to the bidding, resulting in losses to the State. — VNS