Ex-lawmaker Luu Binh Nhuong sentenced to 13 years in prison

Luu Binh Nhuong, former vice head of the Vietnamese parliament’s Ombudsman Committee, has been sentenced by a first instance court to 13 years in prison for appropriating property and abusing positions and power to influence others for personal gains.

After seven days of trial, the People’s Court of Thai Binh province on Monday sentenced Nhuong to three years behind bars for appropriating property and 10 years for abusing positions and power to influence others for personal gains. His total sentence is 13 years.

The court also granted Le Thanh Van, former standing member of the parliament's Budget Committee, a seven-year sentence for abusing positions and power to influence others for personal gains.

For the same crime as Van, Nguyen Van Vuong, a former official at the legal department of the State President Office, received 14 years in prison.

Two “gangsters” Pham Minh Cuong and Vu Dang Phuong were sentenced to seven years and six years behind bars, respectively, for appropriating property.

According to the indictment, Luu Binh Nhuong was accused of having a role in five cases.

In the first case that occurred in Thai Binh province, Nhuong intervened to create favorable conditions for Cuong to do business. Cuong appropriated the property of a Sao Do Company branch at the level of VND1,500 per cubic meter of sand, equivalent to VND1 million ($39.39) per ship of sand.

Cuong sold a 30-hactare tidal flat to Nhuong and his wife for about VND1.2 billion ($47,260), and only took VND900 million. He then managed and exploited the tidal flat to generate income for Nhuong and his wife. In return, Nhuong called Thai Binh Police leaders to intervene to help Cuong.

Nhuong also took Cuong to a border guard station and met with commune authorities to show Cuong’s “power” and create conditions for him to continue appropriating property.

From October 2021 to July 2022, Cuong and his accomplices "robbed" the Red Star Company branch of a VND1.6 billion ($63,000).

In the other cases, Nhuong was accused of using his status as a parliament member to intervene and sign documents sent to the Government and a number of local agencies to help people and businesses benefit, for his personal gains.

The largest amount that Nhuong received was $300,000 from Manh Duc Company in Bac Ninh province.

Le Thanh Van was involved in two cases together with Luu Binh Nhuong in Quang Ninh province.

In a case, Van signed four documents and was offered a plot of land worth more than VND1.8 billion ($70,890) and 1,000 square meters of land worth VND1.95 billion.

In the other case, in July 2023, Van called the leaders of Quang Ninh province to intervene so that Truong Sinh Company could soon be licensed to exploit the Bac Son hill project and received a bribe of VND60 million ($2,360).