The investigation concluded that, after reaching an agreement to transfer the Dai Ninh project with Ms. Phan Thi Hoa, Mr. Nguyen Cao Tri (General Director of Saigon Dai Ninh Company - SGDN) was instructed by Mr. Tran Van Minh (then Deputy Chief Inspector of the Government Inspectorate ) to submit a petition.

This is intended to prompt the Government to issue a directive to the Government Inspectorate to receive and resolve the matter (previously, Ms. Hoa had submitted her petition five times but it had not been resolved).

In October 2020, Mr. Tri went to Hanoi and met with Mr. Mai Tien Dung at the Government Office to discuss the matter of Mr. Tri's acquisition of the Dai Ninh project, but the project had been recommended for revocation according to the conclusions of the Government Inspectorate. At that time, Mr. Tri brought a petition dated October 2, 2020, asking Mr. Dung to annotate it and instruct Department I of the Government Office to advise and report to the Government leaders for guidance, so that the petition from SGDN Company could be forwarded to the Government Inspectorate for resolution.

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Mr. Mai Tien Dung. Photo: Hoang Ha

And Mr. Mai Tien Dung wrote "transfer to Department I" on the application of SGDN Company and assigned Ms. Tran Bich Ngoc, Head of Department I, to report on the proposal. Based on that, Ms. Ngoc drafted the documents as requested and in a way that benefited Mr. Tri.

Since the petition from SGĐN Company had not yet been resolved by the Government Inspectorate, Mr. Tri was instructed by Mr. Tran Van Minh to continue submitting a petition to the Government Office, seeking the opinion of the Government leaders to direct the Government Inspectorate to conduct a more thorough inspection, review, and resolution so that the Government Inspectorate would have a basis for action.

Therefore, on January 16, 2021, Mr. Nguyen Cao Tri arranged to meet Mr. Mai Tien Dung for breakfast to discuss the Dai Ninh project, which had been revoked according to Inspection Conclusion No. 929 of the Government Inspectorate. Mr. Tri had repurchased the project and was applying for procedures to extend its validity, preventing its revocation. He also mentioned that he had been instructed by Mr. Tran Van Minh, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Government Inspectorate, to continue submitting the application from SGDN Company through the Government Office, reporting and seeking opinions from higher authorities with stronger directives, such as "assigning the Government Inspectorate to inspect, review, and resolve the matter."

This step provides the Government Inspectorate with a basis to establish a team to verify the complaint, amend the inspection conclusions, and extend the project's timeline. Mr. Tri asked Mr. Mai Tien Dung to continue directing Department I to carry out this task.

According to the investigation's conclusions, at that time, Mr. Mai Tien Dung also received instructions from his superiors to pay attention to and assist Mr. Tri, so Mr. Dung subsequently wrote twice on the application dated January 12, 2021, of SGDN Company, with the annotations "Transfer to Department I (for early resolution) 15/01" and "Transfer to Department I". Ms. Tran Bich Ngoc then submitted the proposal.

Subsequently, based on instructions from higher authorities, on March 1, 2021, Mr. Tran Van Minh signed a decision to establish a working group to inspect, verify, and resolve the complaint of SGDN Company that was not in accordance with the law.

This paved the way for a series of irregularities in adjusting and amending the inspection report, allowing the Dai Ninh project to be extended and its progress delayed illegally. During the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Cao Tri gave Mr. Mai Tien Dung a thank-you gift of 200 million VND.

Testimony of the former Minister and Head of the Government Office.

At the investigative agency, Mr. Mai Tien Dung stated that Mr. Nguyen Cao Tri was a businessman with close ties to government leaders and Mr. Dung's superiors. In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Mr. Tri worked alongside the government in the fight against the pandemic, donating ventilators and medical supplies. Therefore, Mr. Tri and Mr. Mai Tien Dung became acquainted and occasionally met and spoke with each other.

Mr. Mai Tien Dung testified about his meetings with Mr. Tri as concluded in the investigation and claimed that he helped Mr. Tri endorse the application because he thought Mr. Tri had asked government leaders to approve it.

During the investigation so far, the defendant Mai Tien Dung has admitted to the violations, acknowledging that he received 200 million VND as a thank-you gift from Mr. Tri. In addition, Mr. Tri also provided 380 million VND to purchase commemorative gifts (a tea set) for the Government Office's anniversary celebration.

According to the investigation's conclusions, Mr. Dung, in coordination with his family, returned 580 million VND to mitigate the damage.