Vietnam jails 41 people in massive $44M corruption scandal

Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, former secretary of Vinh Phuc Province, which is now part of Phu Tho Province, received the longest jail term among the former officials, 14 years.

Lan was accused of having received bribes worth around US$2 million from the case, one of the largest amounts.

Hoang Thi Thuy Lan (C), former secretary of Vinh Phuc Province, at a trial in Hanoi, July 11, 2025 . Photo by VnExpress/Pham Du

Among the defendants, 30 were high-ranking officials. Five of them were provincial Party secretaries from Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, and Quang Ngai provinces. They were convicted of either "accepting bribes" or "abusing positions and powers."

Pham Van Vong, also a former secretary of the Vinh Phuc Party Committee, was sentenced to three years in prison for "abusing positions and powers."

Two former Phu Tho Party secretaries, Ngo Duc Vuong and Nguyen Doan Khanh, each received 30-month suspended sentences. Le Viet Chu, former Quang Ngai Party secretary, was sentenced to seven years.

Among the 15 defendants who were former Vinh Phuc officials, former chairman Le Duy Thanh received 12 years; former vice chairman Nguyen Van Khuoc, seven years; former deputy director of the Finance Department Hoang Van Nhiem, four years; former standing deputy party secretary Pham Hoang Anh, eight years; and former deputy director of the Natural Resources and Environment Department Chu Quoc Hai, four years.

Thanh and Lan accepted the largest bribes, VND49.8 billion and VND47.9 billion, respectively.

Eleven other defendants, businesspeople and company employees, were accused of giving bribes and violations in accounting and bidding regulations.

Nguyen Van Hau, chairman of construction firm Phuc Son Group, received the highest sentence of 30 years in prison: 14 years for "giving bribes," seven years for "violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences," and nine years for "bidding violations causing serious consequences."

Over 15 years of managing the construction firm, Hau spent VND132 billion bribing 18 officials in three provinces to secure contracts for 14 projects, and concealed over VND2 trillion in revenue to evade taxes.

The court found that Hau had "manipulated, corrupted, and morally degraded many generations of local leaders and officials" and thus deserved severe punishment despite his active efforts to remedy the consequences.

"Hau's acts of bribery undermined public morals and set a dangerous example for officials, posing a threat to the regime's survival," the verdict stated.

Nguyen Van Hau, chairman of construction firm Phuc Son, stands trial in Hanoi, July 11, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Danh Lam

The panel of judges described the case as particularly serious, causing significant losses to the state, negatively impacting the investment and business environment, and sparking public outrage.

They said they had considered both mitigating and aggravating factors for several defendants who acted under orders, played minor roles, had no profit motive, or gained little from the crimes. As a result, some were given sentences below the minimum threshold, except for Hau's bribery charge.

The court acknowledged the cooperation of Hau and other defendants from Phuc Son Group, which helped clarify the case.

All illicit gains and bribe money totaling VND132 billion have been fully recovered and returned to the state.

Regarding damages from bidding and accounting violations amounting to over VND1.164 trillion, the court ruled that all involved should be jointly liable. However, since Hau was the sole beneficiary, he was ordered to repay the entire amount.

In addition to 501 taels of gold already confiscated, Hau reimbursed a total of VND1.174 trillion, exceeding his obligations. Therefore, the court lifted the seizure and freeze orders on Hau's assets, including gold, real estate, property documents, securities, and other properties, and ordered their return to their rightful owners.