Revealing the reason why 2 officials of the Nghia Dan District Construction Investment Project Management Board were arrested

On January 27, the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province approved the Decisions to prosecute and the Order of temporary detention against Mr. Tran Anh Tuan.Director of Nghia Dan District Construction Investment Project Management Board, related to the act of "receiving bribes"; at the same time, prosecuted and issued an order to temporarily detain Mr. Le Son Dong - Director of An Viet Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Vinh City, for the act of "giving bribes".

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan's office at the Nghia Dan District Construction Investment Project Management Board is "door closed and bolted". Photo: PV

Previously, the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province also approved the Decision to prosecute and the Order of temporary detention against Mr. Le Quang Sang, Deputy Director of the Management Board of Construction Investment Projects of Nghia Dan district, related to the act of "receiving bribes".

So why were the two leaders of the Nghia Dan District Construction Investment Project Management Board arrested, especially when both of these leaders were only recently appointed, on June 1, 2022?

According to the information we have, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan and Mr. Le Quang Sang, while performing their official duties, received more than 300 million VND from An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company. It is worth mentioning that An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Vinh City, is a unit with many projects under construction in Nghia Dan district.

The rescue route constructed by An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company has not yet been completed. Photo: PV

This includes the construction of the road from Km0+00 to Km8+247 under the flood rescue road project to ensure national defense and security (rescue road), from Nghia Lam commune to Nghia Binh. This project is invested by the People's Committee of Nghia Dan district with a total project investment of more than 60 billion VND, expected to be completed before December 31, 2022. However, in reality, this road has not been completed yet, the system of ditches and markers has not been completed.

Markers and machinery are being stored in people's gardens. Photo: PV

On the afternoon of February 2, at Nghia Lam commune, right at the beginning of the rescue route, we recorded that vehicles and machinery were still gathering along the route. On both sides of the road, the drainage system was not yet completed, many batches of markers were kept in people's gardens, not yet planted on both sides of the road. Some local people said that before Tet, the workers had withdrawn, only leaving the machinery behind, now that Tet is over, they still have not returned to continue working.

Many locals said that the workers had withdrawn before Tet but up to now they have not returned to work. Photo: PV

In addition, An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company also won the bid to construct the Km12+760 - Km18+123 route of the Western Nghe An Economic Development Road Project, from the center of Nghia Dan district to Ho Chi Minh road (phase 1). This route has a total length of over 5.4 km with a total cost of over 30 billion VND, and was started on May 21, 2021. This is an important traffic route connecting 4 villages: Nham, Dua, Dong Song, Lam Sinh and connecting Nghia Yen and Nghia Mai communes.

The drainage ditch system and markers on both sides of the roadside of the rescue route that An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company is constructing in Nghia Dan have not been completed. Photo: PV

Previously, An Viet Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company also won bids for many other projects, such as the project to repair and upgrade the drainage canal in Nghia Khanh commune (Nghia Dan). This project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision 5009/QD-UBND on the construction drawings and cost estimates of the project: Repair and upgrade the drainage canal in Nghia Khanh commune, Nghia Dan district, on October 14, 2016.

The project has a construction scale of 3,441.18m long canal; Regulating works on the canal (regulating sluice at Km0+000; bridge at Km2+156.8; sluice at Km3+441.18). This is a level III irrigation project, with a total investment according to the announced price in the second quarter of 2016 of 16 billion 993 million VND. This project is invested by Nghia Dan District People's Committee, using capital from the provincial budget; State development investment credit capital; District and commune budgets and mobilizing other legal capital sources.

Regulating culvert in Dong Dai hamlet, Nghia Khanh commune, a project in the Repair and upgrade of the drainage canal in Nghia Khanh commune. Photo: PV

On December 12, 2016, Nghia Dan District People's Committee issued Decision No. 3711/QD-UBND approving the bidding results of Package No. 01: All construction and installation works: Repair and upgrade of the drainage canal in Nghia Khanh commune, Nghia Dan district, An Viet Investment and Development Joint Stock Company is the winning bidder. The winning bid value is more than 12 billion 370 million VND, the contract implementation period is 12 months, the form of a lump sum contract.

However, on December 8, 2020, based on the proposal of the People's Committee of Nghia Dan district, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 4447/QD-UBND on approving the adjustment of the design of construction drawings and cost estimates for the project: Repair and upgrade of the drainage canal of Nghia Khanh commune. In particular, adjusting the width of the canal bottom; the bridge across the canal at Km2+156.8; the access road at both ends of the bridge across the canal at Km2+156.8 and the access road at both ends of the culvert at Km3-441.18; roadbed... The estimated value of the construction after adjustment is 16 billion 993 million VND - equal to the total investment value initially approved in 2016.

The regulating culvert in Nghia Khanh commune (Nghia Dan), a project in the Repair and Upgrade of the Nghia Khanh commune drainage canal, whose quality is said to be related to the incident. Photo: PV

However, during the construction process, this project showed signs of cracks and damage, the discharge gate at the regulating culvert could not be closed when the flood water came, so it had to be repaired many times, even though it had not been handed over, accepted and put into use. According to many people in Dong Dai hamlet, Nghia Khanh commune, there were times when it rained and flooded, when the water in the drainage canal rose quickly, the discharge gate at the regulating culvert could not be opened, people in the hamlet had to pull each other out to use tree trunks to push the manhole cover up so that the water could drain.

It is known that the authorities are continuing to investigate and expand the case.