The defendants at court. VNA/VNS Photo

SƠN LA — The appeal on violations at Sơn La Hydro-power Plant in Mường La District of Sơn La Province closed on Thursday.

Nine defendants appealed the ruling that Sơn La People's Court delivered previously.

They are Trương Tuấn Dũng, former permanent vice chairman of Mường La District People’s Committee, Phan Tiến Diện, former vice chairman of Mường La District People’s Committee, Phan Đức Chính, former head of Mường La Natural Resources and Environment Department, Phan Xuân Khoa, former head of reallocation committee; Trần Mạnh Trì, former vice head of reallocation committee, Tòng Văn Thành, former party secretary of Chiềng Hoa Commune, Ngô Xuân Vân, a staff of Mường La Natural Resources and Environment Department, Đèo Văn Ban, former vice party secretary of Co Mai Village of Mường Chùm Commune, and Đỗ Tiến Đồng, former director of Centre of Natural Resources and Environment.

Sơn La People's Court rejected the appeals of defendants of Dũng, Chính, Diện, Ban and Khoa, reported Vietnam News Agency.

The court stated that the first-instance trial had followed the rules and came to the correct decision, and that there was no basis to claim that the defendants were wrongly charged.

Therefore, there were not enough grounds to accept the appeals of defendants.

Meanwhile, the trial panel accepted the appeal for mitigation of defendants of Trì, Thành, Vân and Đồng because there were changes in appealing the trial process.

After being offered mitigation, the sentences of the four defendants are Thanh – 5 year sentence (reduced by 6 months), Vân – 3 years and 6 months in prison (reduced by 6 months), Trì – 4 years and 6 months sentence of imprisonment (reduced by 6 months), and Đồng – a 36 month suspended sentence.

In July, a first-instance hearing accused the defendants of deliberately breaching State regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences. — VNS