HCMC – Mai Tien Dung, former chairman of the Government Office, may receive a suspended sentence of 24 to 30 months on charges of abuse of power in connection with the Dai Ninh real estate project.
Prosecutors proposed the sentence during the ongoing trial today, January 17, with Dung among several officials implicated in the case.
Tran Bich Ngoc, former director of Department I at the Government Office, and Nguyen Hong Giang, former director of Department II at the Government Inspectorate, are also charged with abusing their powers and positions.
Ngoc may receive a sentence equivalent to her pre-trial detention (August 10, 2023, to October 31, 2024), while Giang faces a potential prison term of 24 to 36 months.
Nguyen Cao Tri, the Dai Ninh project developer accused of bribing officials, may receive a prison sentence of three to four years.
He was previously convicted in November 2024 of misappropriating VND1 trillion from former real estate tycoon Truong My Lan in a separate case and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The indictment alleges that senior officials from the Government Office, Lam Dong Province Party Committee, and the provincial People’s Committee abused their positions despite their advanced education and understanding of the law.
The Dai Ninh real estate project was initially flagged for violations of the Land Law and Investment Law, leading the Government Inspectorate to recommend its termination.
However, undue influence and alleged bribes reportedly enabled the project’s revival, causing huge financial losses to the State. The project was sold for VND27.6 trillion, generating illicit profits of VND2.7 trillion for Tri.
Tran Van Hiep, former chairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee, is accused of accepting bribes totaling VND4.2 billion from Tri to facilitate the project.
Hiep allegedly manipulated administrative procedures, such as altering company registrations and granting extensions, allowing Tri to bypass legal requirements and profit illegally.
