Wasting land can result in criminal prosecution.

This is one of the regulations in the Joint Circular guiding the determination of wastefulness for application in the initiation of proceedings, investigation, prosecution, and trial of crimes related to wastefulness as stipulated in the Penal Code.

According to many real estate businesses, this joint circular regulates the behavior of organizations, businesses, and individuals using land, land allocation agencies, and units supervising land use.

The circular clearly outlines seven signs of violations in the management, exploitation, and use of land and other resources that could lead to waste. These include: failure to use land for 12 consecutive months from the date of handover on-site, or a delay of 24 months in land use compared to the schedule stated in the investment project. This regulation breaks with the "established practice" of prolonged silence by those allocated land regarding projects that are slow to put the land into implementation and use.

Lawyer Ha Hai, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, stated: "In reality, very few businesses have their land revoked due to slow project implementation. Usually, authorities only issue a few reminders, or even extend the implementation time. Many businesses can also provide objective reasons to explain to the local authorities or land-allocating agency why the project has to be delayed. However, with this Circular in place, it will be difficult for businesses to provide such explanations."

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, Joint Circular No. 11 has created healthy pressure – in addition to forcing businesses to be more responsible with the land allocated to them, in return, they are also protected by law regarding their legitimate rights.

"There were over 100,000 apartments that were not granted ownership certificates before. The reason was the delay in calculating land use fees. And there are many reasons people try to shift the blame onto. But now with Circular 11, everything must be transparent," said Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association.

In Ho Chi Minh City, according to official statistics, there are hundreds of stalled projects, including many prime land plots that have been left abandoned for years. This is not only a waste of land resources but also a waste of opportunities for socio-economic development.

Source: https://vtv.vn/lang-phi-dat-dai-co-the-bi-xu-ly-hinh-su-100260226212231987.htm