Trial of the case of former Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee aiding in illegal sand mining

Defendants at trial - Photo: VNA

In this case, defendant Thanh Binh was prosecuted for "Abusing position and power while performing official duties".

The subordinates of defendant Nguyen Thanh Binh are defendant Nguyen Bao Trung, former Chief of Office of the People's Committee of An Giang province, who was prosecuted for "Abusing position and power while performing official duties". Former Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province Tran Anh Thu, former Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of An Giang province Nguyen Viet Tri were tried for "Accepting bribes".

In connection with the case, defendant Le Quang Binh, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trung Hau 68 Company, appeared in court for the crimes of "Bribery", "Violation of regulations on research, exploration and exploitation of natural resources" and "Money laundering". 24 other defendants appeared in court for the crime of "Violation of regulations on research, exploration and exploitation of natural resources". The remaining defendants were tried for the crime of "Illegal printing, issuance and trading of invoices and documents for payment to the State budget".

According to the indictment, in early 2020, the People's Committee of An Giang province prepared to grant a sand mine in Cho Moi district, An Giang province to supply the project connecting National Highway 91 and the Long Xuyen city bypass. Knowing this, Trung Hau 68 Company, with defendant Le Quang Binh as Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director, submitted a dossier requesting the People's Committee of An Giang province to grant a license to exploit sand at My Hiep mine and Binh Phuoc Xuan mine in Cho Moi district in the form of appointment without auction. To obtain the license, Le Quang Binh directly instructed his relatives and subordinates to bribe defendants Tran Anh Thu and Nguyen Viet Tri.

Although they knew that Trung Hau 68 Company did not meet the conditions to be granted a mining license, for the sake of profit, the defendants Nguyen Thanh Binh, Nguyen Bao Trung, Tran Anh Thu and Nguyen Viet Tri decided to move the My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan sand mines from the list of mining rights auctions to the list of non-auctions. The group of defendants then directed their subordinates to create conditions for Trung Hau 68 Company to be granted and adjust mining licenses in violation of the law.

The indictment determined that defendant Nguyen Thanh Binh directed his subordinates to help, creating conditions for Trung Hau 68 Company to illegally exploit 3.7 million cubic meters of sand, causing damage to the State of nearly 294 billion VND.

In addition, according to the mining license and decision of the People's Committee of An Giang province, sand mined from My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan mines can only be sold to projects and not to the market. However, for more than two years (July 2021 to December 2023), Le Quang Binh directed his subordinates to negotiate and sell mining locations to units and individuals or sell sand to the market in violation of the law.

The investigation results determined that Trung Hau 68 Company sold a total of more than 3.7 million cubic meters of sand to the market, illegally earning VND293.8 billion. To conceal the illegal origin of more than VND170 billion from illegally exploiting the sand mine of Trung Hau 68 Company, Le Quang Binh directed the recipient to pay for illegally exploited sand in cash or borrow personal accounts to receive and transfer money through many bank accounts.

During the investigation, the former leaders of An Giang province all confessed their crimes and those of their accomplices. The defendants' statements were consistent with the course of their crimes and the statements of the individuals involved, as well as the documents and evidence collected during the investigation.

The trial is scheduled to take place from March 24 to April 4, 2025.

Vu Phong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/xet-xu-vu-an-cuu-chu-tich-ubnd-tinh-an-giang-tiep-tay-khai-thac-cat-lau-102250324142050401.htm