Four former officials – two professors and two former leaders of construction companies from the northern province of Lai Chau – will be prosecuted in a graft case involving millions of dollars.

Among the eight are Luong Phuong Cac – former vice director of Dien Bien Province Department of Culture and Information; Le Van Vien – former vice director of the project management board; Le Huyen – former president of Hanoi Industrial Fine Arts University and Nguyen Duc Sung – a former dean of the school.

According to the indictment, their acts, including building the statue from scrap copper instead of authentic cooper in fewer amounts than planned, have caused VND8.3 billion in losses (US$465,246).

The accused also faked documents to embezzle VND242 million ($13,565), it said.

Last week Vietnam’s top prosecutor’s office freed Pham Hoang Be, former deputy head of Lai Chau People’s Committee from “dereliction of duty” charges in the same case, citing health reasons.

Opened in 2004, the statue aimed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Victory of Dien Bien Phu Battle in 1954, which resulted in the French withdrawal from most of Indochina.

However, it developed cracks and rust soon after, and its background work faded, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

Reported by Duc Hoa