'Defendant felt remorseful and tormented during 581 days in detention'

On the evening of January 9, the People's Court gave time for the defendants in the Viet A case to have their final say.

Standing at the podium to give his final statement, former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh expressed his remorse and regret: "The defendant is very sad and has nothing to justify his wrongdoings. The defendant has paid the price in regret, pain, and remorse during 581 days of detention and will have to pay the price in the coming days. I hope the jury will be lenient with his accomplices, especially Pham Cong Tac and Trinh Thanh Hung."

Mr. Chu Ngoc Anh also apologized to the Party, State and generations of leaders and officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

"The defendant is truly heartbroken for allowing violations that caused particularly serious consequences and has nothing to justify," Mr. Chu Ngoc Anh acknowledged.

Having the last word, defendant Phan Quoc Viet (General Director of Viet A Company) continued to plead guilty. The defendant asked the court to “have a mechanism” to put all responsibility on him instead of the company employees because they are just salaried workers and do not enjoy benefits.

In addition, Viet also asked the panel of judges to consider the special context of the case, which has been mentioned many times by other defendants.

Finally, the General Director of Viet A comforted the remaining 37 defendants. "No one wants to go to jail, but if they have to, turn the danger that no one wants into an opportunity that no one has so that after reforming, they can still contribute to society," said Phan Quoc Viet.

The remaining defendants, when speaking in their final statements, expressed remorse and hope that the panel of judges would impose light sentences so they could soon return to their families.

In the indictment, the Hanoi People's Procuracy proposed that the panel of judges sentence defendant Chu Ngoc Anh to 3-4 years in prison for the crime of Violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing waste and loss. Phan Quoc Viet to 15-16 years in prison for Violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences; 15-16 years in prison for Bribery. The total proposed sentence for Phan Quoc Viet is 30 years in prison.

The court will sentence the defendants at 2:30 p.m. on January 12.

Wisdom

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