Former Da Nang top leaders to go on appeal trial next week

The Hanoi-based High-level People’s Court will open an appeal trial on May 4 for a case of acquiring State-owned land illegally in the central city that involved two former top leaders of Da Nang and real estate mogul Phan Van Anh Vu.

The first-instance on the case was held from January 2-13 this year. Of the 21 convicts in the case, 20 filed appeals.

Tran Van Minh, chairman of the city’s People’s Committee for the 2006 – 2011 term, appealed against his combined sentence of 17 years on the charges of breaching regulations on managing and using State assets that caused losses and wastefulness, and violations of land management regulations. Minh said he was only following the city’s policies.

Former chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Van Huu Chien, 66, asked the court to re-consider the punishment and decision on civilian liability. He was given a combined sentence of 12 years in prison on the same charges as Minh.

Phan Van Anh Vu appealed against the first-instance sentence, under which he has to serve 30 years in prison also on the charges of of breaching regulations on managing and using State assets that caused losses and wastefulness, and violations of land management regulations.

The other defendants argued that they only followed instructions of their superiors and asked for reduced sentences.

According to the verdict at the first-instance trial, Minh and Chien were tasked with managing State’s assets and public land in the city during their time in office between 2006 and 2014.

The two repeatedly signed orders to illegally transfer land use rights over to Vu at much lower prices than those regulated by the Da Nang People’s Committee.

At the time of the first-instance trial, Vu was already serving a sentence of nine years after a Hanoi court found him guilty of deliberately disclosing state secrets last year.