At 8 a.m. on July 18, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court commenced the trial involving 254 defendants linked to the case at the Vietnam Register, 11 vehicle registration centers within Ho Chi Minh City, and three others in Long An, Ben Tre, and Soc Trang. The trial was conducted both in-person and online at two locations: the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court headquarters and Chi Hoa Detention Center (T30) in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy has charged 254 defendants with 11 crimes, including: "Bribery", "Accepting bribes", "Bribery brokering", "Forgery in official duties", "Producing, buying, selling, exchanging, or giving away software for illegal purposes", "Forgery of documents from agencies and organizations", "Use of forged documents from agencies and organizations", "Fraudulent misappropriation of property", "Illegal intrusion into computer networks, telecommunications networks, or electronic devices of others", "Embezzlement of assets", and "Abuse of positions and powers while performing official duties".
In today's court session, one defendant was absent (currently wanted), and three requested absentee trials, citing health reasons.
Responding to the presiding judge, Tran Ky Hinh, former Director of the Vietnam Register, provided details about his background. He has been in custody since January 17, 2023.
According to the indictment, during his tenure as Director of the Vietnam Register from January 2014 to July 2021, Tran Ky Hinh allegedly accepted bribes from businesses and inspection units. These bribes were in exchange for overlooking irregularities in licensing inspection centers, vehicle inspections, and approving design files. The indictment alleges that Tran Ky Hinh received bribes totaling over VND7.1 billion.
In response to the presiding judge, Dang Viet Ha, former Director of the Vietnam Register, provided his personal background. He has been in custody since January 11, 2023. Ha is represented by four defense lawyers.
According to the indictment, during his tenure as Director following Tran Ky Hinh, Dang Viet Ha allegedly allowed widespread systemic corruption across the country over an extended period. He is accused of accepting bribes totaling VND8.5 billion.
Following directives from superiors, defendants in the VAR and VR Departments accepted bribes from registration centers and branches to overlook legal errors and omissions, operational conditions, investments, procurements, and staffing during the approval process for the establishment and the facilitation of operations at these centers and branches. Additionally, during the evaluation of design documents and the approval of vehicle modifications, the defendants accepted bribes from companies designing modified vehicles to ensure approvals, even when many documents did not meet the required criteria.
The trial is expected to extend until October 18.
This session involves a notably large number of defendants—254 in total—alongside over 200 lawyers and more than 60 victims, comprising individuals and organizations. Additionally, 100 journalists and reporters from central and Ho Chi Minh City media outlets have registered to attend and cover the proceedings.
Representing the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy is Senior Prosecutor Tran Thi Lien, Deputy Head of the Prosecution Practice Department overseeing economic crime and corruption investigations and trials, along with a team of prosecutors from the same institution.
