Hanoi (VNA) – Nguyen Duy Hung, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thuan An Group, has been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for "violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences."

After more than 10 days of trial and deliberation, the Hanoi People’s Court on September 18 also delivered verdicts to 28 other defendants, with charges ranging from “violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences” to “abuse of position and power while performing duty” and “abuse of position and power to influence others for personal gain.”

Among them, Le O Pich, former Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and former Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of the former Bac Giang province, received three years’ imprisonment for “abuse of position and power while performing duty” (Article 356, Clause 3).

Meanwhile, Pham Thai Ha, former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Office, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for “abuse of position and power to influence others for personal gain” (Article 358, Clause 4).

Other defendants were given suspended sentences of up to 24 months or prison terms of up to seven years, depending on their charges.

According to the first-instance verdict, the defendants’ offences were particularly serious, undermining objectivity and transparency in bidding, causing losses of more than 120 billion VND (4.59 million USD) to State coffers, and undermining the reputation of State agencies.

The court determined that Hung bore the principal responsibility. He exploited his connections with central and local leaders to intervene in bidding processes, offered bribes to influence officials at project management boards and provincial People’s Committees, and directed Thuan An Group staff to commit violations in implementing bidding packages.

The verdict further revealed that in projects in the former Bac Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces, Quang Ninh province, Hanoi, and the former Ministry of Transport—including Dong Viet Bridge, phase 1 of the Tuyen Quang–Phu Tho Expressway, the Ha Long–Dong Trieu riverside road, phase 2 of the Vinh Tuy Bridge, and sections of National Highway 14E, Hung sought support from senior officials, including Ha, to secure advantages for Thuan An Group.

He instructed his staff to form consortia with selected companies, team up with project management units and consultants, gain advance access to tender documents, and arrange illicit commission payments leading to illegally awarded contracts./.