The Supreme People’s Court’s appellate panel had been scheduled to deliver its verdict that afternoon. However, before the verdict, defence lawyers and defendants asked the panel to postpone the hearing to allow them more time to prepare additional payments.

Nguyen Doan Tu, former Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Equipment and Construction Works; Le Van Cu, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Construction Economics; Tran Van Sinh, former head of the technical and cost estimation division of the Management Board for Key Health Projects; and Nguyen Kim Trung, former deputy director of the board, said they would ask their families to provide additional money to remedy the consequences.

Former Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was absent from the appeal hearing while receiving medical treatment in hospital. Her lawyer told the court that she wished to join the other defendants in remedying the consequences and would pay an additional VND1.1 billion (about US$42,000).

At the first-instance trial, Tien was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay VND108 billion in compensation for violations that caused losses and wastefulness at the two hospital projects. She appealed, seeking a reduced and suspended sentence and a reduction in her financial liability.

The appellate-level procuracy supported giving the defendants conditions to fully remedy the consequences. It proposed that the panel adjourn the hearing to allow them to present further plans for compensating the losses.

The appellate panel subsequently decided to suspend the hearing without delivering its verdict. The trial will resume at 2pm on October 1.

Earlier, the procuracy proposed reducing sentences for six defendants, including Nguyen Thi Kim Tien; Nguyen Chien Thang, former Director of the Management Board of Key Health Projects; Tran Van Sinh; Dao Xuan Sinh, Director of SHT Investment and Construction Consulting JSC; Hoang Xuan Hiep, former head of the urban development economics division of the Institute for Construction Economics; and Le Thanh Thiem, Director of Sao Nam Song Hong Co., Ltd.

It proposed rejecting the appeals of four other defendants and upholding their first-instance sentences. They are Nguyen Huu Tuan, former Director of the management board for specialised health construction projects; Nguyen Kim Trung; Le Van Cu; and Nguyen Doan Tu.

According to the first-instance verdict, during the implementation of the two hospital projects, Tien and several officials and individuals committed violations in selecting foreign consultants, appointing contractors and approving contractor-selection plans.

The wrongdoings caused the projects to stall and be delayed, preventing them from meeting their intended objectives and causing more than VND803 billion in losses and wastefulness of state assets.

Former Minister of Health sentenced to six years in prison in major hospital project case

The Hanoi People’s Court on May 27 handed down sentences to ten defendants in a major corruption and economic mismanagement case involving the Ministry of Health and related agencies, after one week of trial and deliberation.