Former Chairman of Tra Vinh City and his deputy appear in court

On the morning of November 19, the first instance trial of Mr. Diep Van Thanh, former Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh City; Mr. Tran Truong Son, former Vice Chairman and accomplices is scheduled to be held by the People's Court of Tra Vinh province on charges ofViolation of regulations on state asset management causing loss and waste.

According to the indictment, from 2009 to August 2018, Mr. Thanh and Mr. Son, in their roles as leaders of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh City, directed their subordinates and specialized departments, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Land Registration Office, and the City Tax Department, to implement policies to support people with meritorious services to the revolution to improve their housing by changing land use purposes and exempting land use fees, contrary to Decision 118 of the Government and Circular 30 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Former Chairman of Tra Vinh City People's Committee Diep Van Thanh at the time of his arrest. Photo: Tra Vinh Police.

According to Decision 118 of the Government, Circular 30 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, “The consideration of support for people with revolutionary contributions to improve their housing must be based on the recommendations of the People's Committee of the ward, commune or town where that person resides. Those recommendations must be verified by the People's Committee of the district or city before being submitted to the provincial or centrally-run city for decision. In addition, the application for land use purpose conversion must include a record of field verification and a record of actual land allocation.".

Mr. Thanh was accused of knowing the above regulations but still signed and issued two official dispatches directing the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Land Registration Office, and the City Tax Department to ignore the recommendations of the ward, commune, and town authorities and re-verification by the district level.

Taking advantage of this directive, many "land brokers" and "land owners" come to policy families to complete procedures for transferring or donating land use rights. To let the policy family stand in their name, legalize the documents to change the land use purpose to residential land to receive exemption or reduction of land use fees from 65% to 100% by the State.

After being granted the land use right certificate, "land brokers" and "land owners" require policy families to make a contract to transfer it back to the old owner or transfer it to another person's name, so as not to have to pay the land use purpose conversion fee and exempt the wrong subjects from land use fees, causing damage to State assets.

The indictment alleges that from December 2009 to July 2018, Mr. Thanh and Mr. Son signed decisions allowing the change of land use purpose and exemption from land use fees for a total of 704 records.

In which, the former Chairman and Vice Chairman of Tra Vinh City People's Committee signed 313 incorrect exemption files, causing a loss to the state budget of more than 69 billion VND.

Mr. Tran Truong Son at the time he heard the police read the arrest warrant. Photo: Tra Vinh Police

Not reported to the province

The investigation agency determined that from 2014 to 2016, Mr. Thanh chaired many meetings with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The officers commented and reflected on the situation of many people taking advantage of the policy of supporting meritorious people to make legal documents for landowners to benefit.

However, Mr. Thanh did not direct the correction, did not report the incident to the Provincial People's Committee, but directed "to continue to carry out the application for land use purpose change and land use fee exemption for policy families...; When there is a dispute or complaint between the policy family and the landowner, it will be resolved".

According to the indictment, the "land brokers" and "land owners" colluded with officials and experts of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ly Kien Trung and Nguyen Trong Nghia, to make fake procedures and legalize documents to change land use purposes under the exemption and reduction regime, causing losses to the State.

In August 2019, Mr. Thanh and Truong Son along with many officers of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment were arrested.

In this case, there are a total of 17 defendants including Mr. Thanh; Truong Son; and the former Heads, Deputy Heads and specialists of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Tra Vinh City: Nguyen Van Chien; Le Huu Le; Ly Kien Trung; Tran Thanh Son; Nguyen Trong Nghia. In addition to the above defendants, there are other subjects who are "land brokers", "land owners"... all brought to trial for the crime of violating regulations on State asset management causing loss and waste.