AN GIANG — The People’s Court in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang has sentenced 27 defendants in a case of illegal trading of value added tax (VAT) invoices.

Their action caused the State to lose more than VNĐ35 billion (US$1.55 million), the online newspaper Vietnamplus reported.

The defendants were prosecuted for misappropriation of property, illegal invoice trading, abuse of position during in office and irresponsibility causing serious consequences.

The defendants include the directors, deputy directors, accountants, cashiers, employees and tax officials of some companies, joint stock companies and tax and customs departments in the province.

After nearly a month of trial, the provincial People’s Court on Wednesday sentenced Phạm Thanh Dũng, director of Tân Thành Lợi Company, to 16 years in prison.

Nguyễn Dân An, deputy director of Danh Quốc Company, and Nguyễn Minh Hiếu, accountant of three companies, were each sentenced to 12-year imprisonment.

Lê Thị Kim Anh, director of Tân Lợi Kim Company; Mai Chí Dũng, an employee of Tân Thành Lợi Company; and Trần Thanh Bình, head of Import-Export Department of Tân Thành Lợi Company, were sentenced to seven years each in prison.

Other defendants were suspended for one to three years.

Some defendants were also banned from holding office in State bodies and economic and social organisations for three years from completing their sentences.

The court ordered the accused to return the illegal profits to the State budget.

According to the indictment, Dũng established three companies - Tân Thành Lợi, Tân Thành Lợi An Phú and Tân Lợi Kim - in An Phú District.

From December 2010 to December 2013, he directly purchased or ordered his employees to purchase VAT invoices of many companies.

He also co-ordinated with tax and customs officials to set up 42 sets of fraud records to appropriate over VNĐ35 billion. — VNS