Director of National Company "colluded" with female lecturer to embezzle more than 12 billion VND

Bui Vinh Quang (39 years old, residing in Lang Ha ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi), Director of Vietnam National Consulting Joint Stock Company and Trieu Thi Tran Bang (48 years old, residing in Dinh Cong ward, Hoang Mai district, Hanoi), former lecturer of Hanoi Medical College "joined hands" in "job-running, school-running" to appropriate from 126 people a total amount of more than 12 billion VND.

During the three days from April 6 to 9, the Hanoi People’s Court opened a first-instance criminal trial to try the above case. According to the indictment of the Hanoi People’s Procuracy, Quang’s company does not have the function of applying for study, requesting to review grades, and applying for jobs.

But with the intention of making illegal money, Quang introduced to Bang that he was a businessman, so he knew many leaders of ministries, departments, and branches and could help many people get jobs in state agencies, banks, hospitals, apply for study, transfer schools, and review scores for candidates who lacked scores to study at academies, universities, colleges, and intermediate schools. Depending on each case, Quang offered prices ranging from 10 to 420 million VND.

Defendants Quang and Bang at trial.

Hearing that introduction, at first Bang thought it was real so she contacted Quang to receive job and study applications for those in need to take advantage of the difference. However, after a while, Bang discovered that Quang could hardly do as she had introduced, but this woman still received applications and money from many cases in need.

In just a short period of time (from June to November 2012), Bang promised and received money from 126 people to get into schools and jobs. Depending on each case, Bang raised the cost to double Quang's request. In the case of applying for a job at a bank, Bang asked for 200 million VND and paid Quang 100 million VND. In the case of reviewing university and college entrance exam scores, Bang collected from 50 to 100 million VND.

After receiving job applications, study applications and money from Bang, Quang did not perform any work as promised but appropriated all of it. Through the contact, Ms. Dam Thi Thu (working at an academy located in Hanoi), the gang defrauded and appropriated money from victims applying for jobs, applying for grade reviews and studying at universities and colleges of the armed forces at a cost of 200 to 290 million VND.

In addition to the act of "colluding" with Bang to defraud and appropriate property from students and job applicants, Quang also defrauded four other victims of 370 million VND.

The investigation also determined that many other individuals had denounced the fraudulent appropriation of money by Bang and Quang. However, the investigation agency determined that this was a civil relationship, so it did not mention the settlement in this case but requested the victims to submit a petition to the Civil Court for settlement in another case.

Regarding Ms. Thu, she received billions of dong from the victims to apply for study and jobs, but all of this money was given to Bang. Up to now, the investigation agency has not received any complaint that Ms. Thu has also appropriated money. Therefore, the investigation agency did not propose to prosecute Ms. Thu but decided to impose an administrative penalty. However, because the statute of limitations for punishment has expired, the investigation agency sent a document to the academy - where Ms. Thu worked - requesting disciplinary action according to regulations.

The investigation agency determined that, of the total of more than 12 billion VND appropriated from the victim, Bang appropriated 6.1 billion VND, and has now recovered 3.5 billion VND; Quang appropriated 6.6 billion VND. The panel of judges determined that the crimes of the two defendants were very serious.

After analyzing and evaluating the role of each defendant in this case, the panel sentenced Quang to 16 years in prison and Bang to 20 years in prison for fraud and appropriation of property. In addition to the prison sentence, the panel also ordered the two defendants to compensate the victim for the entire amount of money they had appropriated according to the law. Hopefully, this case will be a lesson for everyone to be vigilant and avoid falling into the traps of scammers.

According to cand