Valuable experience from two "case solving" times

(Baonghean) -At the Conference of advanced models of the Nghe An Province Inspectorate in the period 2010 - 2015, a young inspector made a strong impression on everyone. He is Nguyen Manh Ha - Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology, who contributed to exposing the fraud in the petroleum business in 2014 "famous throughout the country, receiving the sympathy and praise of the people"...

Valuable experience

Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Ha spent quite a long time with me after the conference. He said: "In fact, this is not the first time the Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology has conducted inspections, thereby discovering fraudulent behavior in petroleum businesses in the province...".

Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Ha introduces the auxiliary electronic measuring circuit board of a facility that committed fraud in the petroleum business that was handled in 2008, the inspection team inspected the petroleum business facility in 2014.

In 2008, when the Ministry of Science and Technology issued Official Letter No. 875/BKHCN-TTr requesting the Provincial People's Committees to direct the Department of Science and Technology to coordinate with relevant departments and branches to organize a specialized inspection on measurement for organizations and individuals trading in petroleum and gas. The Department of Science and Technology Inspectorate coordinated with functional forces to inspect 145 petroleum trading establishments in the province and discovered 36 establishments in violation. The delegation imposed administrative penalties on 32 establishments (4 establishments were warned for minor, first-time violations) with a total fine of 315,000,000 VND; revoked 36 Inspection Certificates, sealed and forced re-inspection of 45 violating measuring instruments.

Through this inspection, the Department of Science and Technology Inspectorate discovered many sophisticated "tricks" of fraud by petroleum businesses. That is, some petroleum businesses take advantage of the SPKEY 2000 keyboard with 2 start buttons, separating it into 2 different control circuit panels, thereby easily switching the fuel measuring column's operating mode from correct to incorrect and vice versa. For vehicles that cannot be cheated (cans, bottles...), use the correct mode; when selling directly to users of cars, motorbikes..., use the incorrect start mode with an error of +2.7% to +5%.

Another fraudulent act is to install an additional electronic measuring circuit board. When the auxiliary circuit is off, the main circuit is active, the error level is within the allowable range. When the auxiliary circuit is started, the error mode will follow the set error level. The auxiliary electronic measuring circuit board is very small in size, often hidden in the fuel measuring column, so it is very difficult to detect. With this form of fraud, the business has adjusted the error from +1% to +8%...

On October 2, 2014, the Director of the Department of Science and Technology directed the Department Inspectorate to organize inspections of petroleum business establishments. Through inspections of 22 establishments, by October 15, 2014, 5 establishments were found to be in violation, including 1 establishment that seriously violated the law on measurement when replacing the program IC to adjust the error of measuring devices. In addition to strict handling, the delegation determined that many petroleum business establishments are using fraudulent tricks to sell goods with shortages or poor quality goods to deceive customers. Due to the lack of authority and conditions, the leaders of the Department of Science and Technology reported the incident to the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee for direction and requested assistance from the Provincial Police. The Provincial Police directed the Economic Order and Position Management Police Department (PC46) to coordinate in establishing a special project to combat and clarify the above fraudulent acts. Through inspections of 51 establishments, 23 establishments were found to be in violation; administrative fine of 1,395,185,000 VND.

During this inspection, most of the violating establishments used the act of replacing the program IC to adjust the error of the measuring device beyond the allowable error level from +4.1% to +11.6%. The method of installing fake program IC is very sophisticated with high technology level, it is very difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. To detect this act is a whole process. Since the beginning of 2014, the inspectors of the Department of Science and Technology have noticed some petrol trading establishments showing unusual signs such as: cutting off the power source, pressing the keyboard when not making a sale, arranging many power switches in different locations...

Identifying this as a new fraudulent method, inspectors and inspection teams were instructed not to show suspicion, to avoid "startling a chain reaction", and on the other hand, to record the identities of establishments showing such unusual signs, the number of employees on duty at the store, the number and type of measuring equipment, the location of the store, etc. When organizing inspections of petroleum business establishments, the Department of Science and Technology Inspectorate made a specific and detailed plan for each establishment, secretly sending officers to approach and redraw all "sensitive" locations. Then, assigning each member to quickly occupy the "sensitive" locations when approaching the establishment.

One member of the team is responsible for using a camera to record the measuring device, and an inspector uses a standard to immediately check the error of the measuring device. In addition, isolate the sales staff from the measuring column area. The process of checking the error of the measuring device is also recorded on camera as evidence. After the error checking result is available, immediately prevent the store owner and sales staff from contacting the outside, and at the same time fight to determine the violation.

According to Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Ha, in order for the inspection to achieve results, the most important factor is "secrecy and surprise". The schedule and identity of the inspection subjects are only reported to the highest leaders by the head of the delegation, and the members of the delegation do not know where the delegation will work. And instead of going in a rolling manner, conducting inspections in a "hopping" manner, in one day they can work in districts more than 100 km apart... In a district, they only inspect one or two establishments and then withdraw, and two or three days later they quietly conduct inspections of other establishments right in that district. The inspection time is concentrated in the early morning, past noon or late evening, these are the moments when subjective businesses do not think the delegation will come to work... "Thanks to careful planning and secrecy and surprise, fraudulent acts in the petroleum business have been exposed" - Mr. Ha affirmed.

"Moral qualities are the most important..."

Nguyen Manh Ha has a rather slim and young figure compared to his title (born in 1979). He graduated from Hanoi Law University in 2001, was recruited as an Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology in 2003; in 2006 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Inspector; from December 2014 he was appointed as Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology. During the period from 2010 to 2015, he directly served as head and deputy head of 36 specialized, interdisciplinary, and large-scale inspections on measurement, quality, and intellectual property for various types of products and goods; specialized in Radiation Safety and Control; specialized in science and technology projects; and participated in many inspections to resolve complaints and denunciations about industrial property, measurement, and product and goods quality.

In all inspections, regardless of his position, he has performed his assigned tasks well, strictly handling organizations and individuals who have violated the law. The most notable were the two inspections of petroleum business establishments in 2008 and 2014. Thereby, combining propaganda for consumers as well as production and business establishments to be aware of the provisions of the law on preventing counterfeit goods and commercial fraud.

The inspection team used a standard to check errors at petrol stations and exposed the act of replacing the program IC to adjust the errors of measuring devices at petrol stations.

Concerned about specialized inspection work, according to Nguyen Manh Ha, there are still many obstacles and difficulties for specialized inspection from the provisions of the law. For example, Article 20 of Decree No. 07 of the Government regulating the agency assigned to perform specialized inspection functions and specialized inspection activities stipulates: "Based on the inspection plan, the Head of the inspection team is responsible for developing an outline requiring the inspected subject to report and sending it to the inspected subject before the date of announcement of the inspection decision".

He said: "Such regulations invisibly bind the specialized inspection activities completely. The characteristics of specialized inspection are surprise, secrecy, recording the actual and honest inspection results at the time of inspection, from which there is an appropriate handling direction. If we have to send an outline requesting the inspected subject to report before conducting the inspection, so that the inspected subject has enough time, mentality, and ways to prepare for the response, it is certain that specialized inspection will not be effective. Regarding industrial intellectual property, for him there are many things that are very worrying. Therefore, despite his busy work, he has been the head of the topic "Current situation and solutions to enhance the effectiveness of state management of industrial property in Nghe An province". After nearly 2 years of implementation, the topic has been rated excellent by the Provincial Acceptance Council in 2014.

With his achievements, Nguyen Manh Ha has been awarded many Certificates of Merit by the Provincial People's Committee; Central Steering Committee 127. In 2014 alone, he was recognized as a Grassroots Emulation Fighter, awarded the Medal for the cause of Vietnam Inspection by the Government Inspector General and recognized as a typical advanced model in the inspection sector in the period 2010 - 2015.

Asked what is the most important thing to be concerned about as an inspector? Chief Inspector of the Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Ha replied: Uncle Ho taught "Inspectors are like mirrors for people to look at their faces, a blurry mirror cannot be used to look at them". As I understand, Uncle Ho especially reminded inspectors about moral qualities. Therefore, to me, inspectors have many things to practice, but the most important thing is to have good moral qualities. The results achieved are a demonstration of the moral qualities of all members of the inspection team under the close direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Science and Technology, the Provincial Police with the particularly effective coordination of the Department of Investigation Police for Crimes on Economic Management Order and Position. We are happy to contribute to increasing the trust of consumers; and because our province is recognized as the first locality in the country to detect and strictly handle fraudulent acts in the petroleum business...

Nhat Lan