3
After 3 days of trial, on the afternoon of July 12, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced defendants Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan (Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of AIC Company), Duong Hoa Xo (former Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center), Tran Thi Binh Minh (former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment) and accomplices.
According to the panel of judges, based on the documents in the case file and the results of the interrogation in court, there is sufficient basis to determine that since April 2014, defendant Nhan knew that the Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center was implementing a project to purchase equipment for 12 laboratories, so he asked defendant Duong Hoa Xo to help AIC Company win the bid.
Defendant Duong Hoa Xo. Photo: DN
Then, Nhan, along with defendant Tran Manh Ha (former Deputy General Director of AIC) and Tran Dang Tan (former Head of AIC Company’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh City), colluded with defendant Xo to have AIC Company win 8 bid packages with prices inflated by 40% to benefit.
After AIC Company won the bid, defendant Nhan sent his subordinates to give defendant Xo a total of 14.4 billion VND many times as a “thank you”…
According to the panel of judges, the defendants Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, Tran Manh Ha, Tran Dang Tan and Do Van Truong, who are wanted, were not at their place of residence and did not comply with the summons to receive the procedural decisions, so the trial in absentia of the defendants was completely in accordance with the law.
Defendant Tran Thi Binh Minh. Photo: DN
The panel of judges held that in the case of defendant Duong Hoa Xo, for personal gain, he assisted defendant Nhan in winning the bid, causing damage to the State.
Defendant Tran Thi Binh Minh, for personal gain, took advantage of her position and authority to direct her subordinate, defendant Phan Tat Thang, to prepare a report to sign a decision approving project adjustments without organizing an appraisal; without carrying out the necessary procedures to handle the investor’s violations. From there, she created conditions for the Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center and AIC Company to increase the estimated price of phase one, increase the price of the bidding packages of phases 2 and 3, causing a loss to the State of more than 33 billion VND.
According to the People’s Court, the defendants in the case all had high qualifications, social awareness, academic titles and degrees, but for personal gain and profit, they committed crimes.