Trial of Tan Hoang Minh case: Proposed sentence reduction for 15 defendants
On the afternoon of March 22, during the debate at the trial of the Tan Hoang Minh case, the representative of the Procuracy holding the right to prosecute at the trial responded to the arguments and defense of the lawyers and defendants.
Based on the opinions of the defendants, the opinions of defense attorneys, the defenders of the rights of the victims of the relevant parties, and new documents provided at the trial, the representative of the Procuracy objectively, fully, and comprehensively assessed the case and decided to adjust and reduce the proposed sentences for all 15 defendants in the case.
Specifically, the representative of the Procuracy has adjusted and proposed that the Trial Council consider and sentence 15 defendants for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" with the following sentences: Do Anh Dung (Chairman of the Board of Directors, concurrently General Director of Tan Hoang Minh Company) from 8 - 9 years in prison; Do Hoang Viet (son of defendant Dung, Deputy General Director of Tan Hoang Minh Company) from 4 - 5 years in prison. Eight defendants of Tan Hoang Minh Company are: Phung The Tinh (former Director of the Finance - Accounting Center, concurrently Director of the Finance - Accounting Department) and Hoang Quyet Chien (acting Deputy Director of the Finance - Accounting Center, concurrently Director of the Finance - Accounting Department) were both proposed to be sentenced to 42 - 48 months in prison; Le Thi Mai (former Deputy Director of the Capital Resources Department) and Vu Le Van Anh (Deputy Director of the Capital Resources Department) were both sentenced to 30 - 36 months in prison; Nguyen Van Khan (Deputy Head of Budget Department of Finance and Accounting Center), Le Van Thinh (Deputy General Director), Tran Hong Son (Deputy General Director), Nguyen Khoa Duc (Assistant Deputy General Director of Tan Hoang Minh Company, Director of Winter Palace Joint Stock Company) were all proposed to be sentenced to 24 - 30 months in prison.
Five other defendants include: Nguyen Manh Hung (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ngoi Sao Viet Real Estate Investment Company Limited) from 24 to 30 months in prison; Bui Thi Ngoc Lan (former Director of Nam Viet Financial Consulting and Accounting Services Company Limited, Northern Branch) and Le Van Do (General Director of Hanoi Auditing and Accounting Company Limited) were both proposed to be sentenced to 24 to 30 months in prison but given a suspended sentence; Phan Anh Hung (former Deputy Director of Hanoi CPA Company, Saigon Branch) from 18 to 24 months in prison; Nguyen Thi Hai (former Deputy General Director of Hanoi CPA Company) was proposed to be sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison but given a suspended sentence.
The Procuracy determined that this was the first case to handle the act of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" through the issuance of fraudulent individual corporate bonds, with an especially large issuance value. The motive and purpose of the crime stemmed from the need to mobilize capital to pay off due debts, in the context of the enterprise facing financial difficulties, partly due to Covid-19. The two defendants at the beginning of the case (Do Anh Dung and Do Hoang Viet) actively and diligently coordinated with the investigation agency and their families to recover the entire amount of misappropriated money, ensuring repayment to the victims. With the number of victims and the especially large value of misappropriation, the remedy of all consequences right from the investigation stage has promptly relieved the frustration and anxiety of the victims who bought bonds, reducing the danger to society.
The prosecutor assessed that at the trial, the defendants all confessed honestly, repented, and were fully aware of their criminal acts as charged in the indictment. Many victims submitted petitions requesting leniency and reduced sentences for the defendants, and many new mitigating circumstances were provided. In addition, on the afternoon of March 21, the Vietnamese Star Bond Issuance Company paid an additional VND2 billion to help remedy the consequences and ensure the execution of the sentence for the defendants of Tan Hoang Minh... Therefore, the Procuracy believes that considering the proposal to change the sentence for the defendants in the direction of reducing the sentence compared to the indictment presented at the trial is well-founded, necessary, and appropriate. At the same time, it encourages and motivates the defendants in other cases to actively remedy the consequences to have a basis for considering leniency policies of the law.