Vinh Phuc province vice chairman arrested for accepting Phuc Son Group bribes

Nguyen Van Khuoc, vice chairman of the Vinh Phuc People’s Committee and chairman of the province’s land price appraisal council, has been arrested for accepting bribes in the Phuc Son Group scam.

The Ministry of Public Security’s investigative agency has detained three officials of Vinh Phuc, namely Nguyen Van Khuoc and Chu Quoc Hai, former deputy directors of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment; and Hoang Van Nhiem, deputy director of the provincial Department of Finance, for accepting bribes per the Penal Code, the ministry’s spokesman Lieutenant General To An Xo stated Tuesday.

Cao Dai Nghia, deputy head of the price division of the Department of Land Resources Planning and Development under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, was arrested for abusing positions and power while on duty.

Legal proceedings were also launched against Nguyen Ngoc Huy, director of Nam Ha Price Appraisal Company; Dinh Thi Thu Huong, head of the land price for compensation and resettlement division under the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s land management agency, on the same charge. They were banned from leaving their residence.

According to investigation results, during the process of Thang Long Real Estate Company - a member unit of Phuc Son Group - executing the Vinh Tuong urban area and wholesale market project in Vinh Phuc province, Nguyen Van Hau (aka Hau Phao), chairman of Phuc Son Group, met several officials many times, giving money to them and asking them for help in calculating land use fees in favor of his company.

Khuoc, Hai, and Nhiem received money from Hau and directed Huong through Nghia and Huy to appraise land prices in favor of Thang Long Real Estate Company, causing more than VND200 billion ($7.86 million) in losses to the state budget.

Previously, on February 26, Nguyen Van Hau was detained for allegedly bribing many officials. Notably, Dang Trung Hoanh, chief of the Mang Thit district’s Party Committee Office in Vinh Long province received VND64 billion ($2.52 million).

The Ministry of Public Security assessed that this was a new type of crimes: taking advantage of close relationships with people at high positions to influence grassroots officials for personal gains.

Regarding the case that occurred at Phuc Son Group, in the past two months, many officials have been arrested. Among them were three high-ranking leaders of Vinh Phuc province, namely former provincial Party secretary Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, former standing deputy secretary Pham Hoang Anh, and former chairman of the province Le Duy Thanh. They have been investigated for receiving bribes.

In Quang Ngai, the investigative agency arrested provincial chairman Dang Van Minh, two former chairmen Cao Khoa and Le Viet Chu, and many others.

They have been investigated for receiving bribes or violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences.

Dang Trung Hoanh, chief of the Mang Thit district’s Party Committee Office in Vinh Long province, was charged with abusing his positions and power for personal gains.