Head of An Giang province economic zone arrested

Nguyen Bao Trung, head of An Giang province’s Economic Zone Management Board, was detained on Friday for “abusing position and power” to help the country’s largest illegal sand mining company.

Trung, 50, former chief of the provincial Party Committee Office, was accused of helping Trung Hau Company be licensed to explore and exploit sand and have its mining licence adjusted illegally.

Initial investigations show that Trung Hau Company was licensed by the An Giang People’s Committee to exploit more than 1.5 million cubic meters of sand to supply four sub-projects under the North-South Expressway eastern section project. The sand mine is located in My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan communes, Cho Moi district.

Taking advantage of the licence, this company’s leaders directed the exploitation of more than 4.7 million m3 of sand worth an estimated VND253 billion ($9.97 million).

In this case - the largest illegal sand mining scam in Vietnam, Nguyen Thanh Binh, former chairman of An Giang province, was arrested last year on charges of abusing position and power while on duties; and Tran Anh Thu, vice chairman of the province, was detained for allegedly accepting VND1.2 billion ($47,270) in bribes.

Among the remaining 22 people subject to legal proceedings for the crime of abusing positions and power while on duties, seven were former officials of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and its environment monitoring center.

Notably, Le Quang Binh, chairman and general director of Trung Hau Company, has been investigated for crimes of violating regulations on natural resources research, exploration and exploitation, and giving bribes.