Among the 14 defendants to be tried, 13 have been charged with “violating regulations on public investment management, causing serious consequences” under Clause 3, Article 220 of the 2015 Criminal Code.
They include former ministers of information and communication Nguyen Bac Son and Truong Minh Tuan, and former head of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC)’s Enterprise Management Department Phan Dinh Trong.
According to the indictment of the Supreme People’s Court, in 2015, the MIC-run MobiFone bought 95 percent of AVG for 8.9 trillion VND (382.7 million VND), many times higher than the actual value of the struggling firm.
During the purchasing process, Son received 3 million USD from AVG Chairman Vu to accelerate the transaction.
According to the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the defendants had shown repentance and responsibility to deal with the consequences of their deeds.
The trial is scheduled to run until December 31./.
