Former district chairman appears in court for signing and issuing 6 red books in violation of regulations

On October 16, the People's Court of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province tried the defendants: Dang Thanh Minh (63 years old); Huynh Bach Thang (63 years old, former head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Xuyen Moc district); Nguyen Minh Tu (44 years old, former deputy director of the branch of the Land Registration Office (LRO) of Xuyen Moc district); Do Dinh Tam (37 years old, specialist of the branch of the LRO) of Xuyen Moc district - for the crime of lack of responsibility causing serious consequences.

Also on trial was defendant Pham Van Thao (40 years old, former cadastral officer of Binh Chau commune) for abusing his position and power while performing official duties.

All 5 defendants above reside in Xuyen Moc district, accused of lack of responsibility, for personal gain leading to the issuance of 6 red books to 3 households in violation of regulations.

According to the indictment, from November 19, 2014 to January 14, 2016, many leaders, civil servants and public employees of the People's Committee of Binh Chau commune, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Land Registration Office and the People's Committee of Xuyen Moc district, in the process of handling red book issuance dossiers for 3 households in the Lang Hang tourist and residential planning area (Binh Chau commune, Xuyen Moc district), committed many violations in State management activities on land.

In particular, Pham Van Thao, a land official of Binh Chau commune, was assigned to handle the red book issuance dossiers for 3 households. For personal gain and motives, he violated his official duties in the activities of checking and verifying the origin and time of land use, which were not true and inconsistent with the 1997 and 2005 land registers kept at the unit.

After that, Thao asked the leaders of Binh Chau Commune People's Committee to sign and issue documents and reports to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the People's Committee of Xuyen Moc District, requesting to resolve land records and issue 6 red books to the 3 households above in violation of regulations. Among the 3 households that were issued red books, there was Thao's mother-in-law.

Regarding Do Dinh Tam and Nguyen Minh Tu, both did not conduct field inspections, did not cross-check information on the origin and land use time of the 3 households with the 1997 and 2005 land registers available at the unit to clarify the conditions and legal basis for accurate settlement.

Huynh Bach Thang and Dang Thanh Minh, with their duties and responsibilities as heads of agencies and units, trusted the advice of their subordinates and signed permission to correct maps and land records.

The defendants' actions resulted in damage to 3,037 square meters of state-managed land, worth nearly 2 billion VND.

In March 2022, Mr. Minh and the four above people were prosecuted, released on bail and banned from leaving their place of residence.

In court, defendant Minh admitted that because he completely trusted defendant Thang, he signed the documents without checking or comparing them. In addition, the defendant also stated that when he first took office as chairman, he was under pressure due to the amount of work and documents.

In court, the panel of judges also focused on clarifying issues related to the process of handling red book applications and the responsibilities of each defendant.

After that, the panel of judges announced a temporary suspension of the trial due to many issues that could not be clarified at the trial, and continued to summon absentees and related officials and leaders of the People's Committee of Xuyen Moc district for clarification.

The panel of judges also announced that in case those summoned do not come to court, measures will be taken to escort them to ensure objectivity in resolving the case, avoiding letting criminals escape...