Many violations discovered in the case of destroying protective forests in Quynh Luu

Multiple violations

Faced with the current situation in some localities in the district, including Tan Thang commune, where households are cutting down protective forests, on October 18, 2018, the Standing Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee issued an official dispatch requesting relevant levels and sectors to implement a number of contents, including assigning the District Party Committee's Inspection Commission to have a plan to inspect and strictly handle Party organizations, cadres and Party members in leading, directing and performing functions and tasks related to forest cutting in relevant localities and units.

Area of ​​illegally exploited protective forest in Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district. Photo: Thanh Duy.

Through inspection at Tan Thang commune, the District Party Committee's Inspection Commission concluded that 4 individuals (including 3 party members and 2 commune officials) arbitrarily organized the exploitation of 10.3 hectares of forest within the protective forest area, without permission from competent authorities. There were cases where after receiving a suspension document from competent authorities, they still did not strictly comply, and at the same time used 9 hectares of protective forest land for the wrong purpose.

The Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee pointed out that the Standing Committee of Tan Thang Commune Party Committee has not focused on leading and directing the work of managing, protecting and preventing forest fires, and has allowed a number of cases of deforestation and forest fires to occur in the commune but has not had effective solutions and prevention; has not promptly inspected and directed the handling of violations, especially for households that violate the law and are party members, cadres and civil servants of the Commune People's Committee.

Inspection and supervision work has not received due attention. There has been no plan developed and no organization for specialized inspection and supervision of the implementation of Resolution 05/NQ-HU and Program No. 16a-Ctr/DU of the Party Committee on leadership in forest management, protection and development.

Illegal exploitation of protective forests in Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district. Photo: Thanh Duy

The Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee also concluded that Mr. Phan Tien Dung - Deputy Secretary, Chairman of Tan Thang Commune People's Committee was not resolute in directing the management, protection and development of forests; the propaganda and mobilization work for cadres, party members and people to protect and develop forests was not very effective.

The situation of illegal trading and transfer of forest land has not been promptly and thoroughly detected and handled. The number of cases violating State regulations on forest management, protection and forest fire prevention and control is still high, but the detection and handling is still slow and the efficiency is not high.

Forged documents, signs of embezzlement

Also through the inspection, the Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee concluded that the leaders who were former Party Cell Secretaries and former Heads of the Quynh Luu Protective Forest Management Board during the period of 2007 - 2018 still violated the management and protection of protective forests (in August 2018, the Quynh Luu Protective Forest Management Board merged with Quynh Luu Forestry One Member Co., Ltd. (after being converted into a Protective Forest Management Board) to become the Bac Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board according to the Decision of the Provincial People's Committee dated January 5, 2018).

Specifically: The dossiers and procedures for planting, caring for, and liquidating contracts are not strict, and there are many violations. The area assigned for protection of planted forests and natural forests in the period 2015 - 2017 gradually decreased: in 2015 it was 367.25 hectares, in 2016 it was 325.72 hectares, and in 2017 it was only 279.3 hectares.

In addition, some areas of protective forests have not been managed or assigned to households by the Management Board, but have been allowed to grow trees freely, leading to misuse and illegal exploitation; there is still a lack of determination in handling violations in protective forests, leading to illegal buying and selling and transfers occurring frequently but not being controlled, and illegal land use but not being prevented.

Lack of responsibility in patrolling and protecting forests, not closely coordinating with the Commune People's Committee, allowing violations of natural forest destruction to occur but slow to detect, not coordinating with competent authorities to handle in a timely manner, resulting in the area of ​​forest destroyed and illegally exploited planted forests in 2018 was 10.3 hectares without any definitive measures to handle.

The protected forest area in Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, after being illegally exploited, has been planted with pineapples. Photo: Thanh Duy

In particular, according to the conclusion of the Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee, the Head of the Quynh Luu Protective Forest Management Board also loosened the management of investment capital for planting, caring for and protecting protective forests according to Decision No. 611/QD-TTg dated July 29, 1998 of the Prime Minister on the objectives, tasks, policies and organization of the implementation of the Project to plant 5 million hectares of new forests in the period 2009 - 2012; did not fully pay the regime granted by the State to households in planting, caring for and protecting protective forests according to Project 611/QD-TTg.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Giang - Deputy Head of the Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee, through the process of verifying signs of violations, the inspection team of the Inspection Committee of the District Party Committee discovered forged documents at the Quynh Luu Protective Forest Management Board, including: Minutes of acceptance of forest planting and care; Payment request of the recipient: 74 payment vouchers for forest planting and care; Forged signatures of 50 payers and recipients to withdraw the State budget, showing signs of embezzlement of VND 1,303,696,232. "The responsibility for these violations belongs to the Head, accountant and treasurer of the Quynh Luu Protective Forest Management Board in the period of 2007-2012", the conclusion of the Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee clearly stated.

Information from the Quynh Luu District Party Committee said that the District Party Committee's Inspection Commission has transferred the case file to the District Police Investigation Agency to investigate and clarify violations in the management of investment capital for planting, caring for and protecting protective forests according to Decision No. 611/QD-TTg dated July 29, 1998 of the Prime Minister because there were signs of embezzlement of VND 1,303,696,232; investigate and clarify violations of the law by organizations and individuals involved in the unauthorized exploitation of 10.3 hectares of protective forests in Tan Thang commune, including the misuse of land for 9 hectares.

Speaking to reporters, Quynh Luu District Party Secretary Hoang Danh Lai said: The district is assigning relevant agencies to investigate and is waiting for the final conclusion. The district's viewpoint is to handle the case strictly, without covering up, and to handle any violations, including organizations and individuals.

The Quynh Luu District Party Committee's Inspection Commission requested the Tan Thang Commune Party Committee, the Party Committee and the Management Board of the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest, and the Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department Party Cell to review relevant organizations and individuals; recommended that the Quynh Luu District People's Committee assign the Department of Internal Affairs to advise the District People's Committee to review and handle the responsibilities of the Chairman of the People's Committee, land and agricultural officials, forestry officials in Tan Thang Commune and relevant officials and civil servants for allowing the above violations to occur.

However, in order to have specific disciplinary measures, ensuring strictness and corresponding violations of related organizations and individuals, Deputy Head of the Inspection Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee Nguyen Van Giang said that this agency is waiting for further conclusions from the District Police Investigation Agency.