Violations of former Vice Chairman of Phu Yen when selling 262 land lots

The actions of Mr. Hien, 52 years old, are stated in the indictment that the People's Procuracy of Phu Yen province has just completed, prosecuting the defendant for the crime ofViolating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and wasteaccording to Clause 3, Article 219 of the Penal Code; penalty range from 10 to 20 years in prison.

In relation to the case, Ms. Nguyen Thi No - former Deputy Director of the Department of Finance; Mr. Mai Hac Loi - former Deputy Director of the Department of Justice; Mr. Ngo Quang Phu - former Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duy - former Deputy Director of the Phu Yen Tax Department were prosecuted as accomplices.

Phu Yen Provincial Police temporarily detained Mr. Nguyen Chi Hien in June 2021. Photo:Phu Yen Police

According to the indictment, in 2016, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Phu Yen Economic Zone Management Board to be the investor of the first phase of the technical infrastructure project of the New Urban Area in the South of Tuy Hoa City. The project covers an area of ​​38 hectares, with an investment capital of nearly 319 billion VND to plan 262 plots of townhouses; 196 plots of villas; and 10 commercial plots.

In 2016-2017, Mr. Hien, as Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, approved the auction of 262 adjacent residential land lots in the form of wholesale sale of each area; supporting the auction winners with a 5% discount on the total land value according to the starting price to encourage quick implementation and revenue collection for the province.

In May 2017, a company in Binh Dinh bought the entire plot of land for more than VND162 billion, VND1.6 billion higher than the starting price (equivalent to nearly 1%). After a 5% discount for the winning bidder, the budget collected VND154 billion, causing a loss of VND8 billion to the State.

Authorities determined that Mr. Hien directed the development of the auction plan, price reduction, auction organization and decision to recognize the auction results. Ms. No and a number of leaders of departments and branches consulted and participated in the development of the land auction plan and auction organization.

Before being prosecuted, Mr. Hien said that the plan to auction the land lots had been agreed upon by the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council and the Standing Committee of the Phu Yen Provincial Party Committee. Because there were no buyers for the 468 land lots, the Provincial People's Committee had to come up with a plan to divide them into 4 areas and auction 262 lots according to the pre-agreed method.

Mr. Hien said he did not seek personal gain. The Provincial People's Committee conducted the auction for the common purpose of paying off the debt that the province has been owing for a long time.