Hanoi, March 17 -- The Hanoi People's Court on March 17 commenced the first-instance trial of 13 defendants for their involvement in the case of violating bidding regulations that led to serious consequences at the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), the Advanced International Joint Stock Company (AIC) and relevant units. The fugitive defendant, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan (born 1969), chairwoman and general director of AIC, who is wanted by authorities, is being tried in absentia as per the court's decision. This is the eighth time Nhan has been tried in absentia. The defendant has been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison from previous verdicts for "giving bribes and violating bidding regulations that led to serious conse...