Former oil executives will stand trial in Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam will put on trial nearly two dozen former senior oil executives, state media reported Wednesday, as communist authorities widen their crackdown on corruption.

Among those facing charges are Dinh La Thang, a former member of the all-powerful Communist Party Politburo and a former head of state energy giant PetroVietnam, and Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former chairman of the board of PetroVietnam's Construction Joint Stock company, or PVC.

Thang is accused of "deliberately violating state economic management regulations, causing serious consequences" for his role in awarding PVC a contract to build a thermo power plant without a proper bidding process. He allegedly also advanced $67 million to PVC, which did not use the funds for the right purpose, causing losses of $5.5 million to the state.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. He is the first former Communist Party Politburo member to stand trial since 1979.