Former National Assembly officials sentenced for corruption and abuse of power

Lưu Bình Nhưỡng in the dock on Monday. — Photo plo.vn

HÀ NỘI — The former deputy head of the National Assembly’s Ombudsman Committee has been jailed for 13 years for abusing his position and influence for personal gain and illegal property appropriation.

Lưu Bình Nhưỡng, 62, was one of five people sentenced on Monday at the People's Court in Thái Bình Province.

Lê Thanh Vân, 61, a former deputy of the 15th National Assembly, was sentenced to seven years for abusing his position and influence for personal gain.

Nguyễn Văn Vương, 49, a former officer at the Presidential Office, received 14 years for similar charges.

Phạm Minh Cường, 39, was sentenced to seven years for property appropriation, while his associate, Vũ Đăng Phương, 43, received six years for the same crime.

According to the indictment, Nhưỡng played a significant role in orchestrating a series of corrupt activities.

In one instance, he allegedly facilitated Cường’s appropriation of properties from Sao Đỏ Company by intervening with Thái Bình Province's police.

Cường was accused of extorting VNĐ1.6 billion ($63,000) from the company between October 2021 and July 2022 by imposing illegal fees on sand dredging operations.

In return, Cường sold Nhưỡng 30 hectares of tidal land for VNĐ1.2 billion ($47,000), discounted to VNĐ900 million ($35,000), which they later exploited for personal profit.

Nhưỡng was further implicated in misusing his status as a National Assembly Deputy to influence government bodies in favour of businesses and individuals, receiving significant monetary benefits.

He accepted $300,000 from the Mạnh Đức Company to facilitate a project in Bắc Ninh Province.

The court heard how Lê Thanh Vân used his authority to intervene in multiple projects.

Vân signed documents and made phone calls to provincial leaders to secure benefits for businesses, receiving land valued at VNĐ3.75 billion ($148,000) as kickbacks.

He also accepted a VNĐ60 million bribe ($2,300) to fast-track a licensing process for the Bắc Sơn Hill project in Quảng Ninh Province.

The court detailed multiple instances of collusion among the defendants. In one case, Nhưỡng introduced Vương to Vân, who subsequently used his influence to support Hạ Long Company despite its project being legally revoked. Promises of financial and land rewards were part of their corrupt dealings.

The indictment also highlighted irregularities in how Vân and Nhưỡng accepted illegal land transfers from Vương. Both were aware of the dubious nature of the transactions but proceeded to exploit their influence for personal and financial gain.

The court concluded that the actions of the accused were deliberate and systematically abuse of their official capacities. Their misconduct undermined public trust and caused substantial harm to the integrity of government institutions. — VNS

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