Former Government Office head accused of receiving $8,000 as thank-you money

Dung, along with Tran Bich Ngoc and Nguyen Hong Giang, two former division heads of the Government Inspectorate, have been recommended by the police to be charged with power abuse.

Six others were recommended to be charged with receiving bribes, including former secretary of the Lam Dong Province Party Committee Tran Duc Quan and former Lam Dong’s chairman Tran Van Hiep.

Nguyen Cao Tri, general director of Saigon Dai Ninh, the company developing the project, has been recommended to be charged with giving bribes.

In 2010, the Saigon Dai Ninh company was allowed to conduct the Dai Ninh commercial urban area and eco-tourism project in Lam Dong in the Central Highlands.

Government inspectors found out there were multiple violations committed as the project was being done, so they proposed to the prime minister to demand the Lam Dong People’s Committee to stop the project and reclaim the land.

Tri was accused of making arrangements to buy out the Dai Ninh project. He then used money and material goods to get connected to several individuals at the government office, government inspectorate and the Lam Dong Party Committee and People’s Committee.

Individuals at the government inspectorate then issued new reports and canceled the decision to reclaim the project. Individuals of Lam Dong authorities handed over the project to Tri and agreed not to reclaim the project, an investigation revealed.

Tri then sold the project to the Thien Vuong real estate investment and development company, earning him VND2.7 trillion. The state meanwhile could not reclaim 3,595 ha of land of the Dai Ninh project.

Tri then gave Quan VND2.1 billion and Hiep VND4.2 billion as bribes, the investigation showed.

Dung, due to his personal connection with Tri, received proposals by the Saigon Dai Ninh company. Dung then received VND200 million from Tri as thank-you money.

Dung was detained from May 1 to July 17. He is now temporarily banned from leaving Vietnam.