Details of 3 embezzlement and bribery cases in Nghe An province that have been accepted for investigation.

The cases of embezzlement and bribery that have been received, investigated, and tried (including those carried over from the previous year and those discovered during the period) include:

1. The case of Phan Van Thang and his accomplices, charged with "Giving bribes" and "Receiving bribes".

The case unfolded as follows: Around June 2017, Phan Van Thang (Lam Dong hamlet, Hung Tay commune) went to the Ru Chua and Ru Am areas in Dai Hue 1 hamlet, Hung Tay commune (Hung Nguyen district) and fenced off some plots of land (forestry land) to sell to people who needed it for building tombs and cemeteries.

On October 2nd, 2018, Thang sold a plot of land measuring approximately 80m2 to Mr. Tran Quang Hai, residing in Block 2, Vinh Tan Ward, Vinh City, for 200,000,000 VND. Mr. Hai paid a deposit of 50,000,000 VND to Thang to process the land certificate for cemetery use at the Hung Tay Commune People's Committee, with the remaining amount to be paid upon completion of the procedures by October 10th, 2018.

A view of the western mountain area of ​​Hung Tay commune. Photo: Internet

After completing the transaction with Mr. Hai, Phan Van Thang gave Ho Viet Dung in Dai Hue 1 hamlet, Hung Tay commune, 50,000,000 VND, a transfer deed, and a land application form to process the paperwork. Dung took the cemetery land documents to Mr. Nguyen Huy De (a land cadastral officer in Hung Tay commune) to have them signed for confirmation and, through Mr. De's nephew, Cao Van Tuyen, gave him 8,000,000 VND.

Subsequently, Dung met with and gave Mr. Nguyen Trung Tien (Head of the cemetery management board of Hung Tay commune) 3,000,000 VND, asking him to sign a confirmation. Following that, Dung met with and gave Mr. Nguyen Trung Dong (Head of Dai Hue 1 hamlet, Hung Tay commune) 22,000,000 VND, asking him to sign a confirmation and then take it to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune for signing and stamping.

After completing the procedure for the "minutes acknowledging the land used for the cemetery construction for Mr. Tran Quang Hai's family," Mr. Dong handed it over to Dung. On October 10, 2018, Mr. Tran Quang Hai called Phan Van Thang, who made promises and postponed the matter for various reasons. Suspecting he had been scammed, on November 31, 2018, Mr. Hai went to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Hung Nguyen District Police to report Phan Van Thang's fraudulent activities.

Subsequently, the Investigation Police Department of Hung Nguyen District issued a decision to initiate a criminal case; indicting Phan Van Thang and his accomplices for the crime of "Giving bribes" as stipulated in Article 364 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017); and indicting Nguyen Huy De and Nguyen Trung Dong for the crime of "Receiving bribes" as stipulated in Article 364 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017).

The investigation, prosecution, and trial of the case have now concluded. Specifically, Judgment No. 30/HSST dated August 27, 2019, of the Hung Nguyen District People's Court sentenced defendant Nguyen Huy De (former land cadastral officer of Hung Tay commune) to 24 months in prison; defendant Nguyen Trung Dong (former head of Dai Hue 1 hamlet, Hung Tay commune) to 15 months in prison but suspended the sentence with a 30-month probation period for the crime of "Receiving bribes". Defendants Phan Van Thang, Cao Van Tuyen, and Ho Viet Dung were sentenced to 9 months in prison, 6 months in prison, and 15 months of non-custodial correctional training for the crime of "Giving bribes".

2. The embezzlement case occurred at Nghi Van Secondary School (Nghi Loc).

The case unfolded as follows: With the intention of misappropriating funds from the state budget, from 2013 to 2017, Vuong Thi Nga, born in 1968, residing in Hamlet 11, Nghi Lien Commune, Vinh City, the accountant of Nghi Van Secondary School, fabricated payment records for salaries and allowances for staff and teachers; Le Thi Tu, born in 1964, residing in Nghi Van Commune (Nghi Loc District), the treasurer of Nghi Van Secondary School, failed to adhere to the principles of cash collection and disbursement at the school. The actions of Vuong Thi Nga and Le Thi Tu resulted in a loss of 1,517,60931 VND to the State, of which 1,450,134,000 VND has been recovered.

Nghi Van Secondary School, where the wrongdoing occurred. Image source: zing.vn

On July 14, 2019, the Investigation Police Department of Nghi Loc District issued Decision No. 82 to initiate a criminal case for the crime of "Embezzlement of property" as stipulated in Article 353 of the Penal Code. The case is currently under investigation.

3. The bribery case occurred at the PJICO Insurance branch (Quynh Luu district).

The case can be summarized as follows: At 4 PM on October 4, 2019, at the PJICO insurance branch in Quynh Luu, located in Block 1, Cau Giat town, Quynh Luu district, the Criminal Investigation Team of the Quynh Luu District Police caught Vu Van Nhan, born in 1970, residing in Hamlet 4, Quynh Ba commune, Quynh Luu district, in the act of "receiving a bribe" from Ms. Tran Thi C (born in 1985), residing in Dai Bac village, Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu district. During the arrest, the team seized one sealed postal envelope containing 7,000,000 VND. This was the amount of money Vu Van Nhan had received as a bribe from Ms. C.

During an emergency search of the suspect's workplace, investigators seized several documents and items related to the case. Initial investigations determined that Vu Van Nhan had abused his position and authority to proactively "demand bribes and harass" Ms. C. On October 9, 2019, the Criminal Investigation Department of Quynh Luu District Police issued a decision to initiate a criminal case, a decision to prosecute the suspect, and an order for temporary detention against Vu Van Nhan for the crime of "Receiving bribes" as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 354 of the Penal Code. The case is currently under investigation.

In 2019, investigative agencies at all levels in Nghe An province handled 14 cases/43 defendants; the two-level Procuracy handled 6 cases/19 defendants; and the two-level courts handled 5 cases/18 defendants for corruption offenses (abuse of power and authority to appropriate property; embezzlement, bribery, forgery in work, abuse of power in the performance of official duties...).

Through the investigation, prosecution, and trial of corruption cases, losses to the State exceeding 57.2 billion VND have been discovered, including 13 billion VND and 291,476 square meters of land (equivalent to over 44.2 billion VND). Of this amount, 7.4/13 billion VND has been recovered (reaching a recovery rate of 56.9%).