Prosecution of 6 land registration office officials and cadastral officials in Thai Hoa

On August 3, Thai Hoa Town Police (Nghe An) announced that under the direct direction of the provincial police, Thai Hoa Town Police successfully broke up a case of abuse of position and power to appropriate property, arrested and prosecuted 6 cases, 6 subjects were officers of the Town Land Registration Office Branch and land officials of some wards and communes in the area. This is the largest case ever discovered by Thai Hoa Town Police in the economic and position fields.

Evidence seized by the police. Photo: Hong Ngoc

Accordingly, the real estate market in Thai Hoa town has been quite active recently. The demand for changing the name, transferring, issuing new certificates, and exchanging land use rights certificates of the people has increased and most of them want their land-related documents to be resolved quickly.

Knowing that and the limited understanding of the people, some officers of the Town Land Registration Office Branch and cadastral officers of some wards and communes have colluded with each other, used many tricks to extort and receive money from the people in the process of granting Land Use Right Certificates, causing resentment among the people. In the face of the above situation, with the consent of the Provincial Police leaders, Thai Hoa Town Police have established a special project to fight.

After a period of collecting and evaluating evidence, from July 15, 2022 to July 27, 2022, Thai Hoa Town Police successively arrested and prosecuted 6 cases, 6 subjects residing in Thai Hoa Town for the crime of "Abuse of position and power to appropriate property” (according to Clause 2, Article 355, Penal Code), including 3 officers of the Thai Hoa Town Land Registration Office Branch, including: Pham Thi Bich Thuong (born in 1984), residing in Long Son ward; Nguyen Thi Mai (born in 1984), residing in Quang Tien ward; Tran Van Dung (born in 1991), residing in Dong Hieu commune and 3 land officials of wards and communes including: Vu Van Hieu (born in 1987), residing in Nghia Thuan commune, is a land official of Quang Phong ward; Ho Van Minh (born in 1983), residing in Long Son ward, is a land official of Quang Tien ward and Nguyen Thi Hue (born in 1982), residing in Quang Tien ward, is a land official of Hoa Hieu ward.

Subjects Tran Van Dung, Nguyen Thi Mai, Nguyen Thi Hue, Pham Thi Bich Thuong, Ho Van Minh, Vu Van Hieu (from left to right, top to bottom). Photo: Hong Ngoc

At the police station, the subjects initially admitted that they had colluded with each other and used many tricks to extort and illegally profit 760 million VND from people in the process of receiving 174 land-related documents.

Currently, Thai Hoa Town Police are temporarily detaining 5 suspects and prohibiting 1 suspect from leaving his place of residence, while continuing to investigate and expand the case./.