Former Government Office chairman receives $7,900 bribe from property project

Mai Tien Dung, former Minister-Government Office Chairman, received a bribe worth VND200 million ($7,900) from Nguyen Cao Tri, owner of the Dai Ninh eco-resort and urban area project in Lam Dong province.

The Ministry of Public Security’s investigative agency recently announced a conclusion of their investigation into the criminal case of “giving bribes, accepting bribes, abusing positions and power while on duty” that occurred in Lam Dong province and several other localities.

Regarding this case, the agency proposed launching legal proceedings againt Dung for “abusing positions and power while on duties”.

According to the inspectors, Nguyen Cao Tri, general director of Saigon-Dai Ninh Tourism Investment Joint Stock Company (SGDN Company) - the owner of the Dai Ninh project, was acquainted with many Government leaders and the Government Office.

Among them was Mai Tien Dung whom Tri had been acquainted with since 2015, when Dung was Party chief of Ha Nam province.

In October 2020, Tri reached an agreement with Phan Thi Hoa, chairwoman of SGDN Company, to acquire the Dai Ninh project.

Because Government inspectors were then proposing to abolish the project, Tri met with Tran Van Minh, then deputy chief of the Government Inspectorate to seek help.

Minh guided Tri to send a petition to the Prime Minister, the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and the Government Office against the Government Inspectorate's conclusion.

Tri asked Government Office Chairman Dung for help. Dung later instructed the petition to be transferred to the Government Inspectorate so as Minh, as deputy chief of the Government Inspectorate, could help Tri. Tri thanked Dung with VND200 million ($7,900).

Later on, the conclusion of the Government Inspectorate on the Dai Ninh project was adjusted in a way that helped the project escape from being scrapped and have its timeline reset in favor of Nguyen Cao Tri.

The case caused particularly serious consequences, with a loss of VND27,600 billion ($1.09 billion) to the State. The State also failed to recover more than 3,595 hectares of land and lake bed from the project, causing waste of resources.

During the investigation process to date, the investigative agency said Dung had admitted his violations.

Tri also offered the Government Office VND380 million ($15,000) to buy teacup sets as souvenirs for its anniversary.

In early May 2024, Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, told a monthly government press meeting that the ministry's investigative agency had detained Mai Tien Dung for violations related to an eco-resort and urban project in Lam Dong province.

In August 2023, Lieutenant General Xo stated that Nguyen Cao Tri, general director of Saigon-Dai Ninh Tourism Investment Joint Stock Company, was arrested for allegedly appropriating $40 million from Truong My Lan, former chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Group.