Times receiving 'Tet gifts' totaling 14 billion VND from the former Department Director

Received a suitcase of money after facilitating NSJ Group to win 6 bid packages

The Investigation Police Agency - Ministry of Public Security (C03) has just issued a supplementary investigation conclusion, proposing to prosecute the accused Vu Lien Oanh - former Director of the Department of Education and Training (GD&DT) of Quang Ninh province, along with 16 other accused for the crime of violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences. In this supplementary investigation conclusion, Ms. Vu Lien Oanh wasprosecuteadditional crime of accepting bribes.

Also prosecuted with Vu Lien Oanh is Hoang Thi Thuy Nga - former Chairwoman of NSJ Group. Defendant Hoang Thi Thuy Nga was prosecuted for Bribery. Ngo Vui - former Head of Financial Planning Department - Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training; and Ha Huy Long - former Deputy Head of Financial Planning Department - Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training, were proposed to be prosecuted for Bribery.

From left to right: Defendant Vu Lien Oanh - former Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh; Ngo Vui - former Head of the Financial Planning Department - Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh; Hoang Thi Thuy Nga - former Chairwoman of NSJ Group.

In this supplementary investigation conclusion, C03 proposed to prosecute two more defendants, Tran Phu Hung (former Deputy General Director of AIC - Vietnam Investment and Valuation Joint Stock Company) and Nguyen Anh Tuan (appraiser) for violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences.

According to the investigation, during the period 2016-2019, Hoang Thi Thuy Nga colluded with the leader of the Department of Education and Training Vu Lien Oanh and was "facilitated" to win bids to supply equipment, supplies, and toys to educational institutions in Quang Ninh. During this process, Nga gave Vu Lien Oanh a total bribe of 14 billion VND; gave Ngo Vui 14.8 billion VND and gave Ha Huy Long 1.8 billion VND.

As a result, Hoang Thi Thuy Nga and her subordinates were allowed to independently set up 6 projects for the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province, then participated and won all 6 in the period 2016 - 2019, with a total value of more than 636 billion VND. After the defendants colluded, the price of materials was inflated, causing a loss of more than 80 billion VND to the State.

According to the investigation conclusion, Hoang Thi Thuy Nga visited and "gave gifts" to the former Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh - Vu Lien Oanh a total of 4 times, with a total amount of 14 billion VND.

Specifically, around the end of 2016, the beginning of 2017 (before Lunar New Year), after completing the 2016 Educational Equipment Investment Project, Nga brought a bag of money to Oanh's office at the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province and said "Thank you and Happy New Year". After Nga left, Oanh checked the bag and found 1 billion VND.

Around the end of 2017, the beginning of 2018 (before Lunar New Year), after completing the 2017 Educational Equipment Investment Project, Nga came to Oanh's office carrying a bag of money and said "Thank you and Happy New Year". After Nga left, Oanh checked her bag and found 3.5 billion VND.

Around the end of 2018, the beginning of 2019 (before Lunar New Year), after completing the 2018 Educational Equipment Investment Project, Nga came to Oanh's office to chat and gave Oanh money as a "thank you". After Nga left, Oanh checked her bag and found 5 billion VND.

Around the end of 2019, the beginning of 2020 (also before the Lunar New Year, at this time Oanh had retired), after completing 2 projects to invest in educational equipment for kindergartens and the project to invest in educational equipment for primary schools in 2019, Nga brought a suitcase to Oanh's house and said she brought a gift to thank her for wishing Oanh a happy new year. After Nga returned, Oanh checked and found 4.5 billion VND in the suitcase.

Defendant Ngo Vui asked his daughter to receive bribe money.

Regarding Ngo Vui - former Head of the Financial Planning Department - Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh, the investigation concluded that after implementing projects to invest in educational equipment for kindergartens and primary schools in Quang Ninh province in the period of 2016 - 2019, Hoang Thi Thuy Nga met Ngo Vui directly 3 times to give money, and 2 times gave money to Vui through Vui's daughter, Ngo Hoang Anh.

The first time was around the end of 2016, early 2017 (near Lunar New Year), after completing the 2016 educational equipment investment project, Nga went alone to meet Vui in a private office at the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province. Here, Nga directly gave Vui 500 million VND in a cardboard bag, the Chairman of NSJ Group told Vui "come down to thank Vui for supporting the Russian NSJ Company to participate in the project".

The second time, around the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 (near the Lunar New Year), Nga went alone to meet Vui in his private office and gave Vui 1.5 billion VND in a cardboard bag. Around the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 (near the Lunar New Year), Nga continued to go alone to meet Vui in his office and gave Vui 130,000 USD (equivalent to 3 billion VND) in a cardboard bag.

Defendants Ha Huy Long - former Deputy Head of Planning and Finance Department of Quang Ninh Department of Education and Training and Tran Thi Thanh Xuan - former General Director of MQF Company.

Then, around the end of November and the beginning of December 2019, when Vui was preparing to hand over his job to retire, Nga called Vui to "give him money as a thank you and asked if Vui wanted to receive the money in Hanoi or Quang Ninh?".

Vui said he would receive it in Hanoi and asked his daughter, Ngo Hoang Anh, to receive it for him. Nga told Vui to tell her daughter to go to the headquarters of Nga's NSJ Company in Hanoi and contact Ms. Tinh to get the money. After that, Hoang Anh went to meet Ms. Tinh to receive the bag of money and give it to Vui in Quang Ninh. Vui checked and found 350,000 USD, equivalent to about 8 billion VND.

Finally, after about 2 to 3 weeks of asking her daughter to receive the money, Vui had retired, Nga called to say that she had sent Vui 8 billion the day before and today she would give Vui another 1.8 billion VND. Nga told the former Head of Accounting - Finance to send her daughter to Nga's company and contact Ms. Tinh to get the money. After that, Ngo Hoang Anh went to NSJ Company's headquarters and contacted Ms. Tinh to receive the bag of goods for his father to bring back to give to Vui. Vui checked and saw that there was 1.8 billion VND.

All 6 packages provided equipment, supplies, and toys for educational institutions in Quang Ninh with a total value of more than 636 billion VND. Of which, the investigation agency determined that the price of materials was "inflated" and there were errors in price appraisal, causing a loss to the State of more than 80 billion VND.