Anti-corruption and anti-negativity

Two former directors of the Registry Department asked for a reduced sentence after receiving heavy sentences for accepting bribes.

VN (according to VnExpress) January 5, 2025 09:20

Mr. Dang Viet Ha and Tran Ky Hinh, former Director of the Vietnam Register, said that the 19 and 25 year prison sentences were too harsh, so they appealed.

Ông Đặng Việt Hà tại tòa sơ thẩm hồi tháng 8/2024. Ảnh: Thanh Tùng
Mr. Dang Viet Ha at the first instance court in August 2024. Photo:Thanh Tung

The appeal for a reduction in the sentence of two former directors of the Vietnam Register, Dang Viet Ha and Tran Ky Hinh, for bribery and abuse of power while performing official duties will be considered by the High People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City on January 7.

In addition, the court will also consider appeals for reduced sentences of more than 120 other defendants on 11 charges related to violations in vehicle inspection activities.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy appealed to the High Court to review the case and increase the prison sentences for 18 defendants from the Vehicle Inspection Department (VAR) under the Vietnam Register and a number of leaders and inspectors from inspection centers in the West and Ho Chi Minh City.

The first instance judgment determined that this was a case that occurred nationwide, systematically from the highest leadership level to local departments, offices, and inspection centers, causing serious consequences for management activities in the field of inspection, affecting the State's legal policies, and causing loss of people's trust.

The defendants accepted bribes and ignored traffic violations, leading to the possibility of causing accidents and affecting the health and lives of people participating in traffic. The defendants were trained in professional vehicle inspection and knew that violations could cause serious consequences but still committed them, showing disregard for discipline and the law, so they need to be severely punished.

The Trial Panel determined that from 2014 to 2022, at the inspection centers, the Vietnam Register and specialized departments, a series of violations of the law occurred, including: Giving and receiving bribes; bribery brokerage; embezzlement of assets; abuse of position and power... mainly concentrated in the period from 2019 to October 2022.

"The defendants took advantage of their management functions and assigned tasks to directly or indirectly accept bribes to ignore violations and issue vehicle inspection certificates... A series of other crimes committed by the defendants were also aimed at legitimizing the acceptance of bribes," the verdict stated.

Ông Trần Kỳ Hình tại tòa sơ thẩm hồi tháng 8/2024. Ảnh: Thanh Tùng
Mr. Tran Ky Hinh at the first instance court in August 2024. Photo:Thanh Tung

Assessing the role of the defendants in the case, the court determined that Mr. Tran Ky Hinh, as the director, did not perform his assigned duties and responsibilities, loosened management, and lacked supervision, allowing the departments under the Department of Registration, Registration Center, and Registration Sub-Departments nationwide to commit systematic violations and negativity over a long period of time, causing serious consequences.

Defendant Hinh, for personal gain, accepted bribes of more than 7 billion VND (including more than 23,000 USD) from many businesses and inspection units, ignoring violations in granting licenses to operate the Inspection Center and violations in the vehicle inspection process. This former director also took advantage of his position and authority to violate regulations, approving the granting of full capacity to 63 unqualified facilities, creating conditions for shipbuilding facilities to operate illegally, affecting the normal operations of the Inspection Sub-Departments and the Vietnam Register.

Having committed similar violations, Mr. Dang Viet Ha was also determined by the court to have committed personal gain. When the violations were discovered, he continued to make policies and direct officers of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Department and the Registration Centers to accept bribes. Specifically, Mr. Ha received bribes from the V-block registration centers, the VAR Department and a number of D-block registration centers totaling nearly 8.4 billion VND.

However, Mr. Ha must bear criminal responsibility for the total amount of bribes received at the Department and a number of inspection centers of more than 40 billion VND. Of which, the Motor Vehicle Inspection Department (from August 2021 to September 2022) is more than 31 billion VND; 4 inspection centers (Block V, under the Department, in Ho Chi Minh City from April 1 to November 2022) is more than 7.6 billion VND; 5 inspection centers of Block V in Hanoi received 780 million VND and the bribes from the directors of the Inspection Centers of Block D are 680 million VND.

After the leadership of the Vietnam Register, the defendants are leaders and officials of the Vehicle Inspection Department (VAR) - the place responsible for evaluating design documents for vehicle modifications. 22 individuals, including the head, deputy head and staff of this specialized department, were accused of a series of violations. Among them, Tran Anh Quan (acting head of VAR) is the most powerful figure.

Defendant Quan benefited 11.5 billion VND and 9,500 USD but must be responsible for the total amount of bribes that the inspectors of the VAR department received, more than 60 billion VND.

In August 2024, after nearly two months of trial and deliberation, the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Mr. Dang Viet Ha to 19 years in prison for bribery; Tran Ky Hinh to 19 years in prison for bribery, 6 years in prison for abusing his position and power while performing official duties; total sentence of 25 years in prison.

Tran Anh Quan, former Head of the Vehicle Inspection Department (VAR), was sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery.

The Western inspection boss - defendant Tran Lap Nghia (owner of 5 inspection centers) was sentenced to 13 years in prison for accepting bribes; 12 years in prison for forgery in work; 5 years in prison for illegally accessing other people's computer networks, telecommunications networks or electronic devices. The total sentence is 30 years in prison.

For nearly 250 other defendants, the court sentenced them to between one year and 30 years in prison, of which 68 received suspended sentences.

Believing that the sentence imposed by the court was too harsh, two former department directors and nearly 130 others appealed for a lighter sentence.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy said that the court's failure to apply the organized crime element and sentencing 18 defendants from the Vehicle Inspection Department (VAR) and several other centers to 2-11 years in prison was not fair and strict. Among them, the prosecutor requested 9-10 years in prison for one defendant, but the court only sentenced him to 3 years, so the prosecutor appealed.

VN (according to VnExpress)
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Two former directors of the Registry Department asked for a reduced sentence after receiving heavy sentences for accepting bribes.