Trinh Xuan Thanh (L) and Nguyen Anh Minh (R) (Source: VNA)
Thanh said he had not directed Nguyen
Anh Minh, former PCV Deputy General Director to establish a fund for internal
and external affairs and completely had not known about it.
Contrary to Thanh’s statement, Nguyen Anh Minh said the sum of 5 billion VND
(200,000 USD) given to Thanh to spend on Lunar New Year 2012 gifts was a piece
of evidence to prove that Thanh directed establishing the fund.
According to the verdict, under the direction of Trinh Xuan Thanh and former
PVC General Director Vu Duc Thuan, Minh made a phone call to Luong Van Hoa,
former Director of the PVC’s Vung Ang - Quang Trach Project Management Board on
January 6, 2012, requesting preparing 5 billion VND for Thanh’s personal use
during the 2012 Lunar New Year holiday.
On January 12, 2012, Hoa asked Nguyen Duc Hung, former head of the board’s
Finance-Accounting Office to transfer over 6.5 billion VND to an account of
Quynh Hoa One-Member Co. Ltd as payment for a falsified contract on auxiliary
works of the Quang Trach 1 thermal power plant.
After receiving the sum, then chief account Nguyen Thanh Quynh and then
Director Le Thi Hanh Hoa, of the Quynh Hoa company, kept more than 977 million
VND, or 15 percent of the total as previously agreed, and transferred the
remaining upwards 5.5 billion VND to Hoa’s personal account.
As directed by Minh on the morning of January 13, 2012, Hoa withdrew 5 billion
VND and gave to Nguyen Van Ke, driver of Nguyen Anh Minh. Ke later kept 1
billion VND for Nguyen Anh Minh and delivered the remaining 4 billion VND to Nguyen
Dang Toan, driver of Trinh Xuan Thanh for personal use during the Lunar New
Year holiday.
However, Thanh refuted the accusation, saying that at around 13:00 Toan drove
him home in Ciputra from the PVC headquarters and to international Noi Bai
airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh City at 16:00 on January 13 so that he did
not have enough time to receive and leave the sum at home.
During the questioning session, Dinh La Thang, former Chairman of the Member
Council of PetroVietnam, said after deciding that PVPower would be investor of
the Thai Binh 2 thermal power plant, PetroVietnam’s Member Council directed the
Board of Directors to conduct the project in line with law.
Former PetroVietnam General Director Phung Dinh Thuc assigned tasks to the
Deputy General Directors, and the council was only responsible for policy and
guidelines.
Thang said PVPower’s reports then showed that EPC contract No.33 was eligible
and it could be signed. It was not until investigation that he learnt that the
contract lacked legal conditions.
According to a PVPower representative, the signing of EPC contract was meant to
launch the construction.
Regarding PetroVietnam’s advance payment to PVC for Thai Binh 2 thermal power
plant, Thang said it was not responsibility of the PetroVietnam’s Member
Council and its head but the Board of Directors.
The questioning session will continue on January 12.
Source: VNA