The Hà Nội People’s Procuracy has proposed the death sentence for Giang Kim Đạt, the former official at a subsidiary of Việt Nam’s Ship Building Industry Corporation, or Vinashin, a state-owned shipbuilding giant. — Photo vnexpress.net

HÀ NỘI – The Hà Nội People’s Procuracy has proposed the death sentence for Giang Kim Đạt, the former official at a subsidiary of Việt Nam’s Ship Building Industry Corporation, or Vinashin, a state-owned shipbuilding giant.

Đạt, 40, who used to be a sales manager at Vinashin Ocean Shipping Company Ltd, or Vinashinlines, was accused of embezzlement and money laundering along with another eight former officials at a trial on Saturday. The eight other defendants were likely to face between eight years to life in prison

During the trial, it was recommended that Trần Văn Liêm, former general director of Vinashinlines receive a life sentence, while Trần Văn Khương, the company’s ex-chief accountant, face a 20-year jail term for his involvement in the corruption.

According to the indictment, from July 2006 to March 2007, as general director of the company, Liêm signed contracts to buy three foreign ships, Vinashin Summer, Vinashin Island and Vinashin Phoenix, and authorised Đạt to negotiate with the foreign partners.

The city People’s Procuracy also decided that Giang Văn Hiển, Đạt’s father, would likely be put behind bars for eight to nine years for money laundering. Đạt fled the country in 2010, when authorities commenced legal proceedings against him and many officials for their wrongdoings in a corruption case at the shipbuilding giant that caused a loss of about US$43.5 million, as calculated in 2012, to the state coffers.

He was arrested on July 7, 2015.

Liêm, Đạt and Khương conspired with ship owners to rig prices and earn profits, pocketing around VNĐ249 billion (US$11.06 million) from May 2006 to June 2008.

Đạt received a commission of between 2 and 3.75 per cent of the total contract value for each transaction, which was transferred to a bank account in Hiển’s name, investigators said.

In total, the trio “abused position and power” and misappropriated around VNĐ260 billion ($11.56 million), the indictment said. Liêm misappropriated VNĐ3.1 billion ($138,000), while Đạt and Khương embezzled around VNĐ255 billion ($11.34 million) and $110,000, respectively.

The police found that after money was transferred to his bank account, Hiển withdrew money for Đạt to buy some 40 villas and luxury apartments as well as 13 cars in his or his relatives’ names. 

At the trial, the defendants pleaded not guilty, affirming that the prosecution against them was wrongful.

As one of the major corruption cases ordered to be brought to trial as soon as possible by the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, the trials of Đạt and his accomplices has attracted a great deal of attention from the public. — VNS