The Hanoi People’s Court sentenced former Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien to six years in prison for “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and waste” in connection with the second-campus construction projects of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital on the afternoon of May 27.
In the same case, Nguyen Kim Trung, former Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health’s Major Medical Projects Management Board, was sentenced to three years in prison, while Tran Van Sinh, former Deputy Director of the ministry’s Medical Construction Project Management Board, received a seven-year sentence on the same charge.
Former Major Medical Projects Management Board Director Nguyen Chien Thang was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of both violating State asset management regulations and accepting bribes. Nguyen Huu Tuan, former Deputy Director of the Medical Construction Project Management Board, received a 25-year prison sentence on the same charges.
Le Thanh Thiem, Director of Sao Nam Song Hong Co. Ltd., was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud and appropriation of property.
Other defendants in the case received prison terms ranging from three to seven years for violations related to the management and use of State assets.
According to the trial panel, the defendants committed particularly serious offenses that undermined the proper functioning of State agencies and public officials in the performance of their duties, and generated negative public sentiment. The court determined that the crimes were committed intentionally.
The panel identified Nguyen Chien Thang as the central figure in the case. Described as a highly qualified expert in the construction sector, Nguyen Chien Thang had been entrusted with leading the Major Medical Projects Management Board, which played a key role in implementing the second-campus projects for Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital.
During the implementation of the projects, Nguyen Chien Thang committed multiple violations resulting in State losses exceeding VND803 billion. Prosecutors also determined that he accepted substantial bribes, making him subject to the heaviest criminal responsibility among the defendants.
Regarding Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, the court stated that although she did not directly commit the acts that caused the projects to stall and incur massive losses, she violated regulations in approving contractor selection decisions and project documentation, thereby enabling Nguyen Chien Thang and other defendants to carry out illegal activities.
Case files showed that, as head of the Ministry of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien committed violations by approving plans to select foreign contractors for project formulation and architectural design, as well as approving documentation related to the two hospital projects.
The court concluded that those approvals formed the basis for the implementation process carried out by the Major Medical Projects Management Board, during which numerous violations ultimately caused both projects to be delayed, prolonged, and unable to achieve their intended objectives, resulting in State losses and waste totaling more than VND803 billion.
