On April 24, the appeal trial continued on the case of violations occurring at Thu Duc Housing Development Joint Stock Company (Thuduc House), Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department and related companies, and representatives of the High People’s Procuracy at Ho Chi Minh City has expressed its views on resolving the case.
According to the representative of the Procuracy, the first instance verdict sentenced the defendants to the right person, the right crime, and not unjustly. This is a case of taking advantage of the State’s preferential tax refund policy. From 2016-2020, Trinh Tien Dung (who fled to the US and is wanted) directed the establishment of many “ghost” businesses to prepare import and export documents for electronic components (with a tax rate of 0 %); Organizing value added tax refunds to appropriate State money.
Dung directed his subordinates to connect with officers and leaders of Thuduc House to establish and sign 334 economic contracts with 8 foreign companies. Thuduc House then prepared many sets of documents to send to the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department requesting value added tax refund. Since then, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department has issued 17 tax refund decisions (former Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh signed and issued 15 decisions) for Thuduc House of more than 365 billion VND.
Based on the interrogation results at the appeal trial and the new mitigating circumstances provided by the defendants, the representative of the Procuracy requested the jury to consider reducing the sentence from 6 months to 1 year in prison for the former defendants. Tax officials have appealed. After hearing the Procuracy’s point of view, defendant Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh, Former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department, burst into tears, fainted and had to seek care from doctors.
The representative of the Procuracy proposed that defendant Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh’s sentence be reduced by 6 months – 1 year compared to the first instance sentence. The first instance verdict sentenced the former Deputy Director to 4 years in prison for “Violating regulations on state asset management causing loss and waste”.
Previously, at the trial on April 23, defendant Hanh asked the Court of Appeal for a suspended sentence because there were many new extenuating circumstances such as having a ministerial-level scientific research project accepted by the Ministry of Finance. The defendant is taking care of his mother who is over 80 years old and he himself suffers from depression and is undergoing treatment.
The trial is scheduled to last until April 26.
THANH THANH
Tags: Deputy Director Chi Minh City Tax Department fainted Procuracy expressed opinion
