Former Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung is accused of imposing his will on subordinates.

The Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security has just completed its supplementary investigation report on the case of irregularities in planting trees in Hanoi, involving former Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung. Among the 15 defendants, Mr. Chung is recommended for prosecution for abusing his position and authority in the performance of his official duties.

In April, the Supreme People's Procuratorate issued a decision to return the case file for further investigation, including clarifying the actions of former Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung when he instructed Le Van Duc, former Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction, and his subordinates to order the Green Ecological Development Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as Green Ecological Company) to plant trees.

Former Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung is accused of directing and forcing subordinates to commission a familiar company to build a nursery and plant trees.

While hiding from creditors, he was called back to plant trees.

According to the investigation report issued in March, the planting and replacement of trees in Hanoi from 2016 to 2019 was a public service; the selection of contractors should have been done through a bidding process. However, Mr. Chung interfered and instructed his subordinates to instead of bidding, they commissioned the Hanoi Green Parks Company Limited and the Green Ecology Company.

With the aim of embezzling budget funds, the defendants at Hanoi Green Parks Company Limited colluded with defendants at Green Ecology Company and related units to inflate the input prices of various types of trees, causing losses of more than 34 billion VND.

The Green Ecology Company was headed by the defendant Bui Van Man. Man confessed that around June 2016, while hiding from creditors in Lam Dong province, he was called to Hanoi by Mr. Chung to plant trees, and thus established the company. In reality, the Green Ecology Company had no equipment, machinery, or engineering staff.

Following instructions from Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, the Green Ecology Company was commissioned to plant thousands of trees, thereby profiting illegally and causing losses to the state budget of over 17.7 billion VND. Typical examples include the nursery project at the intersection of National Highway 21A and the acacia tree planting project along national and provincial roads in 2018.

Regarding his relationship with the defendant Mận, Mr. Chung admitted knowing her but stated it was only a personal relationship, denying any involvement in or introductions that would secure orders for planting trees for Sinh Thai Xanh Company. In the recently issued supplementary conclusion, Mr. Chung stated that he only learned that the defendant Mận was the Director of Sinh Thai Xanh Company when he worked with the investigating agency.

The former Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee denied directing subordinates to commission Green Ecology Company to build a nursery at the intersection of National Highway 21A, as well as changing the method from bidding to commissioning this company to plant trees on national and provincial roads in 2018.

However, the defendant Bui Van Man testified that he had been called by Mr. Chung many times to ask for his opinion or to come to the intersection of National Highway 21A to discuss the construction of a nursery. Mr. Chung also called and agreed to let defendant Man plant trees on both sides of Thang Long Boulevard, and later Green Ecology Company continued to plant trees on national and provincial highways.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung in a court hearing.

"Let Mận in, it'll only cost a little over 3 billion."

In his testimony to investigators, former Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction, Le Van Duc, stated that in the first half of September 2016, after a meeting at the Hanoi People's Committee headquarters, in the hallway outside the meeting room, he was approached by the defendant Nguyen Duc Chung to discuss the construction of a nursery at the intersection of National Highway 21A.

At that time, Mr. Chung said, "Let Mận in, it's only a little over 3 billion." Following the directive, Mr. Dục instructed his subordinates at the Hanoi Department of Construction to place an order with Green Ecology Company.

Regarding the tree planting project along national and provincial highways, the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment and the Hanoi Department of Finance initially proposed a bidding process. However, around the end of February 2018, while waiting for a meeting, Mr. Duc was instructed by Mr. Chung, "Go and prepare a proposal for planting acacia trees on the road so that the three departments can sign the order and have Man do it…".

Next, Mr. Duc instructed his subordinates to prepare a report according to Mr. Chung's instructions. Nearly a month later, the inter-departmental committee submitted a report proposing a change in the method from bidding to ordering, assigning the project to Green Ecology Company. Mr. Chung and the Hanoi People's Committee issued a document agreeing to this.

Contrary to Mr. Duc's testimony, defendant Nguyen Duc Chung asserted that there was no verbal instruction given to the former Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction regarding the submission of a proposal to change the contractor selection method as stated.

Nevertheless, the Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security concluded that there was sufficient basis to determine that Mr. Chung directed, imposed, and forced Mr. Le Van Duc to instruct his subordinates to order the construction of a nursery at the intersection of National Highway 21A from Green Ecology Company.

Regarding the tree planting project along national and provincial highways, while the Hanoi People's Committee Office had not yet submitted a proposal on the bidding method, the former Chairman of Hanoi verbally instructed Mr. Duc to prepare a proposal to change the method to ordering the work directly from the source.

When the inter-departmental committee submitted the report, the defendant commented: "I agree. I assign Mr. Toan, the Vice Chairman, to direct and make the decision. We need to urgently plant trees on all suburban roads."

Due to conflicting statements from Nguyen Duc Chung, Bui Van Man, and Le Van Duc, the investigating agency conducted a confrontation between the three. As a result, the defendants and Mr. Duc all maintained their original statements.

The defendant Bui Van Man also confessed that, as a token of gratitude for being given the opportunity, he spent over 1.5 billion VND buying trees as gifts for Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung, including planting them at his uncle's church, his parents' house and church, and the school next to Mr. Chung's parents' house in Phu Tho.

Similarly, the defendant Vu Kien Trung, former Chairman of Hanoi Green Parks Company Limited, also confessed to spending 2.6 billion VND on Mr. Chung during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year).

However, the former Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee denied receiving any money from the defendant Trung; he also denied any involvement with or request for the defendant Man to plant trees anywhere.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/cuu-chu-tich-ha-noi-nguyen-duc-chung-bi-cao-buoc-ap-dat-cap-duoi-18523061411431919.htm