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The headquarters of the People’s Committee of Vinh Tuong District, which is a workplace of an inspection team of the Ministry of Construction, led by Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, during their working visit to Vinh Phuc Province – PHOTO: NLDO

 

The provincial police on June 15 detained two inspectors Nguyen Thi Kim Anh and Dang Hai Anh, and Nguyen Thuy Linh to probe into their bribe-seeking allegations, reported Tien Phong newspaper.

Earlier, Hai Anh was caught in the act of receiving VND90 million from Do Ngoc Yen, 35, deputy director of Duc Trung Company, while Anh was working with the project management board in Vinh Tuong District on June 12.

Hai Anh admitted to demanding the bribe in order to keep values of some construction works implemented by the company in the province unchanged, instead of revising down such figures according to the workload.

Also, the police on the same day caught Kim Anh red-handed as she received VND68 million from Tran Hanh, 48, and VND91.5 million from Do Manh Cuong, two accounting staff members at the People’s Committees of Tan Tien Commune and Tho Tang Town, respectively. She received the bribes for the same reason towards construction works invested by the two agencies.

The police also raided these bribe-takers’ workplace and seized many related documents, a sum of VND335 million in a cabinet managed by Kim Anh, in addition to computers, mobile phones and other related stuff.

The three arrested are part of a six-member inspection team founded in April this year to examine some projects in the province.

The police had received many letters of denunciation since the start of this month, all claiming that the team had abused their positions to force local firms and grassroots agencies in the district to give them bribe money, so they would create favorable conditions for local units during the inspecting process.

The provincial police then launched a probe into the complaints as directed by the Ministry of Public Security.

 

Six inspectors seeking bribes identified

 

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Inspector Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, who led an MoC inspection team in Vinh Phuc Province. She is being temporarily detained by the provincial police investigating bribery– PHOTO: COURTESY OF VINH TUONG PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE

 

 

Six inspectors from the Ministry of Construction (MoC) involved in allegations that they sought bribes in the northern province of Vinh Phuc have been identified. Among them, two inspectors were being held at a local police station, while the others had been released.

Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, 44, deputy head of the ministry’s anti-corruption division, and Dang Hai Anh, an executive at the ministry’s construction inspection division No.2, were detained for allegedly receiving bribes during a working visit of an MoC inspection team to the province.

The four other suspects are Luu Van Oanh, deputy head of the ministry’s anti-corruption division, along with Nguyen Thi Kim Lien, Ung Thi Phuong Hien, and Nguyen Thuy Linh, according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Ta Quang Vinh, chief at the ministry’s Office, told the newspaper on June 14 that the ministry could not meet with the released suspects as the police continued to summon them for questioning. The ministry was waiting for further information about the investigation from competent agencies, Vinh said.

Also on June 14, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministry of Public Security to direct the provincial police and other agencies to launch an investigation into the case and report the results to him prior to August 1.

Further, an official from the People’s Procuracy of Vinh Phuc Province said the agency had received a request from the provincial police to prosecute the case, but it had yet to be approved.

Earlier, as assigned by the ministry’s chief inspector, the inspection team, led by Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, was asked to inspect activities, including zoning, granting licenses for construction, and managing investments of projects in the province’s Vinh Tuong District.

Also, the team had to report any shortcomings or violations found at these projects to the ministry for handling, in line with prevailing regulations.

Commenting on the case, Professor Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said it was correct to conduct annual inspections of realty firms, but inspectors should have publicized inspection results so the public could know which ones run lawful businesses.

He suggested prevailing regulations should be amended to make inspections more transparent to the public, and specific punishments should be imposed to tackle inspectors who did not publicize inspecting results or announce incorrect or incomplete results. SGT

 

Inspectors detained for seeking bribes

Inspectors detained for seeking bribes

Police in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on June 12 detained a team of inspectors from the Ministry of Construction (MoC) while they were asking for bribes.