Gov’t completes Yên Bái probe

July 18, 2017 - 09:00

Government inspectors have finished their 15-day scrutiny of suspected land mismanagement and misuse by the director of the Natural Resources and Environment Department in northern mountainous Yên Bái Province Phạm Sỹ Quý.

The mansion owned by Phạm Sỹ Quý, the director of the Natural Resources and Environment Department in Yên Bái Province. — Photo news.zing.vn
Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI — Government inspectors have finished their 15-day scrutiny of suspected land mismanagement and misuse by the director of the Natural Resources and Environment Department in the northern mountainous province of Yên Bái Phạm Sỹ Quý.

Official conclusions of the case would be released to public in August, said Phạm Trọng Đạt, head of the Government Inspectorate’s Anti-corruption Bureau.

Đạt said the conclusions were under compilation and expected to be completed within 20 days, reported Zing online newspaper.

Previously, the Government Inspectorate sent a team on June 27 to the province to conduct the scrutiny after local media had reported about the sumptuous villa of Quý, worth billions of đồng, allegedly located in an area of 13,000sq.m of forest land in Minh Tân Ward early June drawing public attention. The villa was registered under the name of Hoàng Thị Huệ - Quý’s wife.

Đạt said Yên Bái Province’s Inspectorate issued on June 8 a decision to inspect construction, land management and land use of the household in Minh Tân Ward.

However, after that, the provincial People’s Committee asked for an examination to be carried out by the Government Inspectorate instead of the local agency to ensure objectivity, fairness and avoid unexpected interference because Quý is the brother of the province’s Party Committee Secretary Phạm Thị Thanh Trà.

Đạt said the inspection focused on asset declaration and land use in connection with the land on which Quý’s premises were built. The premises include a hillside villa, stilt houses, a pond and a garden covering more than 1.3ha of land.

Under his asset declaration announced early this year, Quý and his wife own a 600sq.m house; a 150sq.m house, worth VNĐ200 million ($8,800); a 1ha land, worth VNĐ500 million ($22,000) in Minh Tân Ward. They also own a 2ha farm, worth about VNĐ1 billion ($44,000) and a Toyota Camry. In Hà Nội, they have a 130sq.m apartment in Mandarin Garden, worth VNĐ2.5 billion ($110,000).

The hillside villa, stilt houses, a pond and a garden covering more than 1.3ha of land are not mentioned in his asset declaration.

Responding to questions from local residents and media about the origin of the money to build the villa, Quý said he and his wife borrowed VNĐ20 billion ($880,000) from bank. — VNS

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