A court in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, has begun hearing the first legal proceedings against top officials involved in a corruption case which dates back almost two years.

The corruption allegations in 1999 led to the disgrace of a deputy prime minister, Ngo Xuan Loc, the most senior official to be dismissed for corruption.

On Monday, eight other people - a central bank official, a tourism chief and six officials from the planning ministry - went on trial over the case which centred on a property deal on the Hanoi area of West Lake.

The allegations of fraud over the development of a $13m amusement park on West Lake sparked an angry public reaction when they came to light. People demanded tough action against those accused of involvement in the land deal.

It concerned a company headed by Le Tan Cuong, which allegedly falsified financial documents making it eligible to bid for the contract to build the entertainment complex despite the comapany having no construction experience.

The army newspaper, the Peoples Army, says the alleged fraud was uncovered when the developer tried to sell off part of the land at a grossly inflated price.

About 30 people are said to have been involved in the fraud.

When a deputy prime minister, Ngo Xuan Loc was accused of involvement late in 1999 he became the most senior official in Vietnam to be dismissed for corruption.

Just five months later he was back, working in a job with cabinet rank, with responsibility for the same property sector connected to the original accusations against him.

The case against the other officials is expected to last until Friday.