HANOI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Vietnamese political bureau member Dinh La Thang on Monday received a jail term of 13 years for intentionally violating state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences.
One of his accomplices, Trinh Xuan Thanh, got a life sentence.
The Hanoi People's Court handed down the life sentence on Trinh Xuan Thanh, 52, for intentionally violating state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences, and for misappropriating assets at the state-owned National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam or PVN).
Dinh La Thang was the former chairman of the member council of PetroVietnam. Trinh Xuan Thanh was the former chairman and general director of PetroVietnam Construction Joint Stock Corporation (PVC) under PetroVietnam. Thang was mainly responsible for wrongdoings during the implementation of the Thai Binh 2 thermal power plant project. The plant was built by PVC.
Thang, 58, lost his membership in the Political Bureau under the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee in May 2017.
The courted on Monday passed verdicts on 22 defendants, of whom PetroVietnam's former general director Phung Dinh Thuc and two former deputy general diectors Nguyen Quoc Khanh and Nguyen Xuan Son got the same jail term of nine years.
Late last year, Vietnam's Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption agreed on plans to finalize the investigation, prosecution and judgment regarding 23 corruption and economic cases in 2017 and in the first quarter of 2018.
