Vietnam jails ex-Hanoi chairman for 8 more years for power abuse

A Vietnamese court jailed a former head of Hanoi's governing body for a further eight years on Monday for abuse of power, state media reported, his second conviction as part of a crackdown on graft by the ruling Communist Party. His arrest last year came as the ruling party stepped up its fight against corruption.

A Vietnamese court jailed a former head of Hanoi's governing body for a further eight years on Monday 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 dongs ($1.57 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 canceled due to the pandemic. His arrest last year came as the ruling party stepped up its fight against corruption. ($1 = 22,960 dong)