Former Minister Mai Tien Dung was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, suspended.

After 5 days of trial and deliberation, on the afternoon of January 20, the Hanoi People's Court sentenced 10 defendants in the Saigon Dai Ninh case for the crimes of accepting bribes, giving bribes, and abusing positions and powers while performing official duties.

Accordingly, the court sentenced defendant Nguyen Cao Tri (born in 1970, General Director of Saigon Dai Ninh Tourism Investment Joint Stock Company - Saigon Dai Ninh Company) to 3 years in prison for bribery, combined with the 6-year prison sentence previously sentenced Tri for property appropriation, forcing defendant Tri to serve the combined sentence of 2 sentences of 9 years in prison.

For the group of 6 defendants tried for bribery, the court sentenced Tran Van Hiep (born in 1965, former Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee) to 6 years and 6 months in prison; Tran Duc Quan (born in 1967, former Secretary of Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee) to 5 years and 6 months in prison; Le Quoc Khanh (born in 1982, former Deputy Director of the Department of Inspection and Complaints and Denunciations, Region 2, Department II, Government Inspectorate) to 3 years and 6 months in prison; Hoang Van Xuan (born in 1974, former Chief Inspector of Department II, Government Inspectorate) and Nguyen Ngoc Anh (born in 1969, former Chief Inspector, Chief Inspector of Lam Dong Province) were both sentenced to 3 years in prison; Nguyen Nho Dinh (born in 1983, former Inspector of Department II, Government Inspectorate) to 2 years in prison.

The three defendants were convicted of abusing their positions and powers while performing official duties, including: Mai Tien Dung (born in 1959, former Minister, Head of the Government Office) was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison but given a suspended sentence, Nguyen Hong Giang (born in 1963, former Director of Department II, Government Inspectorate) was sentenced to 24 months in prison but given a suspended sentence; Tran Bich Ngoc (born in 1968, former Director of the Department of Monitoring Inspection Work, Handling Complaints and Denunciations; Prevention and Control of Corruption, Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods (Department I, Government Office) was sentenced to 14 months and 21 days in prison, equal to the time of detention, so the court determined that defendant Ngoc had completed his prison sentence.

The first instance judgment determined that in 2010, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee granted an investment certificate to Saigon Dai Ninh Company to implement the Dai Ninh Urban Area for Trade, Tourism and Ecological Resort Project (Dai Ninh Project), in Phu Hoi, Ninh Gia, Ta Hine and Ninh Loan communes of Duc Trong district.

The project has a total investment capital of more than 25,200 billion VND, an operation period of 50 years; the total planned land area for project implementation is nearly 3,600 hectares.

During the inspection of land management, use and construction investment in Lam Dong province in the period of 2013 - 2018, the Government Inspectorate determined that Saigon Dai Ninh Company had many violations during the implementation of the Dai Ninh Project.

Accordingly, the company did not comply with its financial obligations, did not pay land use fees and compensation for damage to forest resources and environment; allowed people to re-encroach; and progress was not as committed.

Therefore, the Government Inspectorate recommends that the Prime Minister assign the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee to terminate the operation and reclaim land of the Dai Ninh Project.

Knowing this, defendant Nguyen Cao Tri agreed to buy back the Dai Ninh Project. Defendant Tri took advantage of his relationships, used money and material benefits to connect and collude with a number of individuals in the Government Office, the Government Inspectorate, Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee and Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee to illegally change and adjust State decisions.

The trial panel determined that the above actions caused the project to be withdrawn and then extended and continued, with the defendant Tri being the beneficiary.

In addition, the State failed to reclaim 3,595 hectares of reservoir land of the Dai Ninh Project, causing waste of land resources.

Since the Dai Ninh Project was approved for a delay, Saigon Dai Ninh Company has not implemented the project, has not built any new items, and has continued to commit 24 violations such as deforestation, illegal encroachment, etc.

In this case, Nguyen Cao Tri repeatedly gave bribes totaling more than 7 billion VND to defendants at the Government Inspectorate and the Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee so that the defendants could commit violations, helping Tri achieve the goal of changing the Inspection Conclusion, from terminating the project's operations and reclaiming land to not reclaiming, extending the project's progress and continuing to implement the project in violation of the law.

The Trial Panel determined that the defendants' actions were particularly serious, violating public order and security, economic management, and the honor of relevant agencies and organizations, causing serious damage, loss, and waste to state assets, affecting the investment environment and the mobilization of social resources for local development, degrading and corrupting the moral lifestyle and behavior of a number of officials, and losing the trust and prestige of the Party and the government. A strict trial of the defendants is necessary to punish individuals who go against the interests of the people.

However, the Trial Panel appreciated the positive attitudes and perceptions of all defendants, especially the active cooperation of defendant Tri and two former leaders of Lam Dong province in clarifying the case.

In addition, the defendants voluntarily or influenced their families to pay compensation. The Trial Panel also considered and acknowledged that many defendants had made positive contributions during their work to apply appropriate mitigating circumstances to each defendant.

In particular, defendant Mai Tien Dung has made many contributions to his work, was awarded 4 Labor Medals, certificates of merit, is currently over 60 years old, has many underlying diseases... so his sentence should be considered for a reduction...