HANOI – A Vietnamese court jailed a former head of Hanoi’s governing body for a further eight years on Monday (Dec 13) for abuse of power, state media reported, his second conviction as part of a crackdown on graft by the ruling Communist Party.
Nguyen Duc Chung, 54, was found guilty of charges stemming from the siphoning of 36 billion dong (S$2.14 million) from a public investment project, which he used to help a company owned by his family, state media said.
Chung was last year sentenced to five years in prison for misappropriating secret state documents and misusing assets, which caused more than $40 million of losses to the state budget.
His lawyer declined to comment on news of Monday’s verdict.
The once high-flying Chung, a former Hanoi police chief, became chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee in late 2015.
During his tenure, Hanoi successfully won the rights to host a Formula 1 race, which was later cancelled due to the pandemic.
His arrest last year came as the ruling party stepped up its fight against corruption.
This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.