Defendants at the trial (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The People’s Court of My Ducdistrict, Hanoi, on August 8 opened the first instance trial on law violationsregarding land management in the district’s Dong Tam commune.
Among the defendants at the trial, 10 faced thecharge of abusing position and power while on duty in pursuant to Article 281of the Penal Code. They included three former Chairmen of the Dong Tam communePeople’s Committee who are Nguyen Van Son, Le Dinh Thuan and Nguyen Van Bot. Aformer secretary of the commune’s Party Committee - Nguyen Tien Trien -, and aformer commune official in charge of land registration - Nguyen Xuan Truong –are also among the group.
Meanwhile, four others were charged with“irresponsibility causing serious consequences” in line with Article 285 of thePenal Code. They are Pham Huu Sach, former head of My Duc district’sEnvironment and Natural Resources Division; Dinh Van Dung, former Director ofMy Duc district’s Land Registration Office; Bach Van Dong, former DeputyDirector of the district’s Land Registration Office; and Tran Trung Tan, anofficial of the district Land Registration Office.
According to the indictment, between 2002 and 2013,Bot, Son, Thuan, and other key officials of Dong Tam commune illegallyallocated and granted land to some local households, or legalized land thatsome households occupied illegally.
The four indicted district officials did not fulfiltheir responsibility for verifying the origin of the land, resulting in theunlawful granting of land-use certificates.
Dong Tam Commune’s People Committee got approvalfrom the People’s Committee of former Ha Tay province to allocate 5,425 sq.m ofland managed by the commune People’s Committee to 49 local households forhousing.
Bot, as Chairman of the Dong Tam commune People’sCommittee, and Truong as official in charge of land registration, handed over4,095 sq.m of land to only 39 out of the 49 eligible households.
When Son took over the post of Chairman of the DongTam Commune in 2002, he agreed to grant the remaining 1,300 sq.m of land to tenkey officials of the commune, who had to pay only 100,000 VND per sq.m.
Between 2011-2013, Dong Tam People’s Committeeofficials also helped with the legalization of applications for land-usecertificates of 12 households for total area of 1,834 sq.m which were allocatedor illegally occupied during 2002-2003.
Truong, as the local land registration official,gave his confirmation in the applications that the land of the households wasgranted before October 15, 1993 and there was no dispute concerning the land.
Thuan, as the then Chairman of the commune People’sCommittee, approved the applications to be submitted to the district’sadministration.
Authorised district officials approved theapplications without conducting required verification.
The violations of the officials were detected andinvestigated following complaints from residents.
The trial will last two days.
Dong Tam commune made headlines in local media for aland scandal in late March and mid-April when 38 civil servants and some policepersonnel were held hostage by the commune’s residents.
The residents were protesting what they consideredwas unjustified revoking of land where they’d built homes and lived for manyyears.
As tensions escalated in March, police opened aninvestigation against the residents for "disturbing social order."
Matters came to a head onApril 15, when police arrested four people. Local villagers retaliated bysurrounding and seizing 38 officials, including police officers.-VNA
Among the defendants at the trial, 10 faced thecharge of abusing position and power while on duty in pursuant to Article 281of the Penal Code. They included three former Chairmen of the Dong Tam communePeople’s Committee who are Nguyen Van Son, Le Dinh Thuan and Nguyen Van Bot. Aformer secretary of the commune’s Party Committee - Nguyen Tien Trien -, and aformer commune official in charge of land registration - Nguyen Xuan Truong –are also among the group.
Meanwhile, four others were charged with“irresponsibility causing serious consequences” in line with Article 285 of thePenal Code. They are Pham Huu Sach, former head of My Duc district’sEnvironment and Natural Resources Division; Dinh Van Dung, former Director ofMy Duc district’s Land Registration Office; Bach Van Dong, former DeputyDirector of the district’s Land Registration Office; and Tran Trung Tan, anofficial of the district Land Registration Office.
According to the indictment, between 2002 and 2013,Bot, Son, Thuan, and other key officials of Dong Tam commune illegallyallocated and granted land to some local households, or legalized land thatsome households occupied illegally.
The four indicted district officials did not fulfiltheir responsibility for verifying the origin of the land, resulting in theunlawful granting of land-use certificates.
Dong Tam Commune’s People Committee got approvalfrom the People’s Committee of former Ha Tay province to allocate 5,425 sq.m ofland managed by the commune People’s Committee to 49 local households forhousing.
Bot, as Chairman of the Dong Tam commune People’sCommittee, and Truong as official in charge of land registration, handed over4,095 sq.m of land to only 39 out of the 49 eligible households.
When Son took over the post of Chairman of the DongTam Commune in 2002, he agreed to grant the remaining 1,300 sq.m of land to tenkey officials of the commune, who had to pay only 100,000 VND per sq.m.
Between 2011-2013, Dong Tam People’s Committeeofficials also helped with the legalization of applications for land-usecertificates of 12 households for total area of 1,834 sq.m which were allocatedor illegally occupied during 2002-2003.
Truong, as the local land registration official,gave his confirmation in the applications that the land of the households wasgranted before October 15, 1993 and there was no dispute concerning the land.
Thuan, as the then Chairman of the commune People’sCommittee, approved the applications to be submitted to the district’sadministration.
Authorised district officials approved theapplications without conducting required verification.
The violations of the officials were detected andinvestigated following complaints from residents.
The trial will last two days.
Dong Tam commune made headlines in local media for aland scandal in late March and mid-April when 38 civil servants and some policepersonnel were held hostage by the commune’s residents.
The residents were protesting what they consideredwas unjustified revoking of land where they’d built homes and lived for manyyears.
As tensions escalated in March, police opened aninvestigation against the residents for "disturbing social order."
Matters came to a head onApril 15, when police arrested four people. Local villagers retaliated bysurrounding and seizing 38 officials, including police officers.-VNA
VNA
