Former Binh Duong leaders jailed for land management violations

Tran Van Nam, the province’s former Party Committee Secretary and Tran Thanh Liem, the former chairman, were found guilty of “violations in the use and management of public assets causing waste and losses.”

Nam, 59, was dismissed as party chief of Binh Duong in July last year and was arrested for land management violations that cost the state VND6.59 trillion ($281 million).

According to the Central Inspection Committee, Nam had violated the principle of democratic centralism and guidelines of the Binh Duong Province Party Committee, apart from violating the law on management and use of land, capital, and assets of the Party and the state.

The committee said Nam was directly responsible for signing documents transferring 188 hectares of land that belonged to the Binh Duong Producing and Trading Corporation to private investors.

According to the verdict, back when he was deputy chairman of the province in 2012, Nam signed papers to transfer two plots of land – 43 hectares and 145 hectares – to the Binh Duong Producing and Trading Corporation at 2006 prices, causing the state loss of more than VND760 billion.

Later, when he was party chief, he did not intervene to prevent the corporation from handing over the 43-hectare plot to a private firm.

Nam was Binh Duong’s party chief from October 2015 to July 2021. He was deputy chairman of the province in 2010-2014 and chairman in 2014 – 2015.

Liem, 60, was chairman from 2015 to 2020. He was the one who signed papers for Binh Duong Producing and Trading, a firm run by the provincial party unit, to hand over the plot of 145 hectares to private firms.

Binh Duong, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, is a major industrial hub in the country.