On September 6, Vietnam’s state-controlled media reported that the People’s Court of Da Nang City sentenced Vo Nhi, a former official of the Office of the People’s Committee of Da Nang City, to 14 years in prison for „Abuse of trust to appropriate property.“ His wife Tran Kim Tuyen was also sentenced to three years in prison.
The verdict seemed to be just a normal land fraud case, but public opinion immediately realized that it was a story directly related to late Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee Nguyen Ba Thanh.
According to the records, in 2002, Nguyen Ba Thanh and his wife Le Thi Quy asked Nhi to register five plots of land worth more than VND57.4 billion.
At that time, Thanh was a senior leader of Da Nang, because he did not want to directly own the real estate to avoid scandal. But ironically, more than 20 years later, these plots of land became a „trap“ that exposed a dark side in the political career of a figure considered to be the most clean and brave official in fighting corruption.
According to analysts, it is impossible to separate the story of the five plots of land from the political context of the time, which was the fierce power competition between then General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
In 2013, Nguyen Ba Thanh was brought to Hanoi by General Secretary Trong to hold the position of Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission. This was considered a „move“ for Trong to find a way to overthrow then PM Dung, who was holding the upper hand at that time.
However, despite being expected to be an „anti-corruption“ hero, Thanh was involved in scandals related to land and group interests in Da Nang City.
And Thanh’s sudden death in 2015 due to a „strange illness“ further fueled speculation about the previous conflict with PM Dung.
Up to now, when the case of the five plots of land has been brought to light, the disclosure of the identity of the person who asked him to stand in his name for the land, which had been hidden, has now been made public, and has received much public attention, becoming a topic of discussion.
Is this a deliberate move to „dig up“ Nguyen Ba Thanh’s past, and indirectly overshadow late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s anti-corruption legacy?
According to observers, the re-opening of the land issue related to Nguyen Ba Thanh bears the mark of PM Dung’s faction. This is a political message aimed at the faction that „attacked“ the former PM more than a decade ago.
It could also be a way to affirm that no one in Vietnam’s communist leadership is clean, including those who were once raised as „flags“ against corruption.
From another perspective, bringing this case to trial at this time is no different from a “double humiliation” with the intention of both defaming Nguyen Ba Thanh’s legacy and partly denying the personnel strategy of late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
And when the case of “hiding” five plots of land emerged, it was evidence that Trong’s selection of high-level personnel at that time not only failed, but also left a shameful mark beyond the people’s imagination.
This incident sends a clear message: Anyone can have their past “dug up” and this is also a way to send a warning to factions before the 14th National Congress, where the power struggles are promised to be more fierce than ever.
The big question is, will this incident stop at handling a subordinate official who misappropriated assets, or will it expand to become a political blow aimed at other factions within the ruling communist party?
And the most bitter thing: this incident further strengthens the belief in society that, in Vietnam, no leader is completely clean.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
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Who is „digging up“ Nguyen Ba Thanh’s grave to humiliate late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong?
“… From the corruption case of five land lots worth VND57.4 billion of Nguyen Ba Thanh, people see more clearly the interweaving of corruption and power within the Communist Party of Vietnam.”
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