Hoàng Thị Thúy Lan, former Secretary of the Vĩnh Phúc Party's Committee, during the verdict in court. — Photo congly.vn

HÀ NỘI — The supreme court on Monday reduced prison sentences for several former provincial leaders convicted in a major corruption case linked to Phúc Sơn Group, citing full recovery of losses, cooperation with investigators and a wide range of mitigating circumstances presented at the appellate stage.

The appeal panel of the Supreme People’s Court stated that the financial damage caused by the case, involving bribery, bid rigging and illegal subcontracting across several provinces, had been fully remedied, allowing judges to impose lighter penalties while maintaining what they described as sufficient deterrence.

The case focused on allegations that executives at Phúc Sơn Group paid large bribes to senior officials in Vĩnh Phúc, Phú Thọ and Quảng Ngãi to secure public construction contracts in breach of procurement rules.

After winning bids, company executives were found to have illegally transferred or subcontracted projects, inflating costs and causing substantial losses to the State.

Prosecutors said the violations resulted in combined damage exceeding VNĐ1.1 trillion ($44 million), stemming from bid-rigging, illegal subcontracting, tax evasion through parallel accounting systems and irregular land-price valuations.

Reduced terms

Among those receiving reduced sentences was Hoàng Thị Thúy Lan, former Secretary of the Vĩnh Phúc Party Committee. The court reduced her sentence to 11 years and six months in prison, down from 14 years at the first-instance trial.

Judges cited Lan’s cooperation during proceedings, her admission of wrongdoing and her repayment of all illicit proceeds.

The court also noted extensive documentation submitted on appeal, highlighting her long public service record, state honours and awards and petitions from agencies and individuals requesting leniency.

Health issues and difficult family circumstances were also taken into consideration, the ruling said.

Former Chairman of Vĩnh Phúc People’s Committee Lê Duy Thành also saw his sentence reduced to eight years and six months from 12 years.

In addition to returning all illicit gains, Thành presented new mitigating evidence at the appellate hearing, including records of charitable and social activities.

The court also noted his role in organising emergency 'zero-fare' flights during the COVID-19 pandemic to bring thousands of residents back to the province, as well as family commitments related to the care of relatives of fallen soldiers.

Former Deputy Secretary of Vĩnh Phúc Party Committee Phạm Hoàng Anh received a reduced sentence of six years, down from eight, after the court found similar mitigating factors, including cooperation with investigators and restitution.

All three were convicted of receiving bribes.

Citing advanced age, declining health and the length of time since the offences were committed, the court converted several custodial sentences into suspended terms.

Former Vĩnh Phúc Party Committee Secretary Phạm Văn Vọng, former Vĩnh Phúc People's Committee Chairman Phùng Quang Hùng and former Vice Chairman Hà Hòa Bình were each given three-year suspended sentences.

Judges deliver the verdict.

Judges said the defendants had played secondary roles in the case, posed no ongoing threat to society and had clear places of residence, making continued imprisonment unnecessary.

In a separate count involving violations of bidding regulations, former Vĩnh Tường District Chairman Bùi Minh Hồng had his sentence reduced to three years and six months, while former Vice Chairman Hoàng Quốc Trị received a three-year prison term, both down from first-instance sentences.

In a notable decision, the court also reduced sentences for several defendants who had not filed appeals.

Former Quảng Ngãi Party Committee Secretary Lê Viết Chữ saw his sentence cut by two years, to five.

Judges said the reductions reflected the full recovery of losses, additional mitigating material submitted during the appellate process and the defendants’ service records, commendations and family circumstances.

Several other former Quảng Ngãi officials also received reduced terms under similar reasoning.

During the hearing, prosecutors supported sentence reductions, arguing that most defendants were first-time offenders with previously clean records and long careers in public service.

Many were elderly or suffering from serious health problems, prosecutors said, and no longer posed a danger to society.

The prosecution confirmed that all illicit payments and proceeds linked to the case had been recovered and transferred to the state treasury, with some defendants continuing to make additional payments after the first-instance verdict.

Judges said that while the crimes were serious, reduced sentences would still serve deterrent and educational purposes while reflecting what the court described as the humanitarian and lenient principles of Việt Nam’s criminal justice system.

Final statements

In her final statement before deliberations, Lan apologised to Party leaders, the Government and residents of Vĩnh Phúc, saying she and her co-defendants had fully recognised the seriousness of their violations and expressed deep remorse.

She urged the court to consider new mitigating circumstances presented at the hearing and asked for leniency to allow her to seek medical treatment.

According to first-instance findings, businessman Nguyễn Văn Hậu used personal relationships and work connections to pay more than VNĐ132 billion ($5 million) to provincial leaders and officials across multiple localities to secure contracts for Phúc Sơn Group.

After winning bids, Hậu directed illegal subcontracting and instructed the use of dual accounting systems, causing financial losses to the State and large-scale tax shortfalls, investigators said.

Authorities concluded that the combined damage from procurement violations, accounting fraud and land-price manipulation exceeded $44 million. — VNS

The case took place before the administrative merger in July 2025, so all locations mentioned in the news refer to the former provinces under the previous three-tier administrative system.