From left to right: Lê Anh Huy, Phạm Duy Cường; Nguyễn Văn Phong. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI - The Vice Chairman of Bình Thuận Provincial People's Committee Nguyễn Văn Phong and six other defendants are to be prosecuted in the case of the Project of Commercial, Service and Residential Area Tân Việt Phát 2 in Phú Hài Ward, Phan Thiết City, Bình Thuận Province.

According to the Decision to prosecute case No. 08/QD-VPCQCSĐT dated February 10, 2022 by the Investigative Police Agency (IPA) of the Ministry of Public Security, they have expanded the investigation of the case "Violation of regulations on management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness" which occurred at the Project of Commercial, Service and Residential Area Tân Việt Phát 2 (3 land lots No. 18,19,20), belonging to the land fund on both sides of 706B road (now Võ Nguyên Giáp Street, Nguyễn Thông) in Phú Hài Ward, Phan Thiết City, Bình Thuận Province.

As a result, six cases were identified with sufficient elements to constitute the crime of “violating regulations on management and use of state property, causing losses and wastefulness,” as described in Clause 3, Article 219 of the 2015 Penal Code, and 1 case with enough elements to constitute the crime of "lack of responsibility causing serious consequences," specified in Clause 3, Article 360 of the Penal Code 2015.

The IPA has issued a decision to prosecute Đặng Hoài Nhân, Chairman of Bình Thuận Lottery Company Limited, former Director of Center for Land Fund Development of Bình Thuận Province; Nguyễn Thanh Cho, Officer of General Administration Division, former Head of Sub-Department of Land Management, Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bình Thuận Province; Lê Nam Hưng, Chief of Office of Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bình Thuận Province, former Deputy Head of Sub-Department of Land Management; Phạm Duy Cường, Head of the Division of Natural Resources and Environment of Phan Thiết City, Bình Thuận Province, former Deputy Head of Land Economics Division, Bình Thuận Province Land Management Sub-Department; and Lê Anh Huy, Head of General Administration Division, Land Management Sub-Department of Bình Thuận Province.

The above defendants were prosecuted for the crime of “violating regulations on management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness,” as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 219 of the Penal Code 2015.

In addition, the IPA also issued a decision to prosecute Nguyễn Thị Thu Phong, the former Deputy Director of Bình Thuận Province's Land Fund Development Centre, for the crime of "violating regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste".

The IPA issued the Decision to prosecute Nguyễn Văn Phong, Provincial Party Member, Vice Chairman of Bình Thuận Provincial People's Committee, former Director of the Department of Finance, for "lack of responsibility causing serious consequences,” stated in Clause 3, Article 360 of the Penal Code 2015.

According to the case file, Tân Việt Phát 2 residential and commercial project is located on three land lots 18, 19 and 20 with a total area of 9.26ha. The project has a construction plan of 1.5ha of commercial and service land, 4.6ha of residential land, the remaining area is public land for common use.

These land lots are approved by the Provincial People's Committee for bidding on land use rights. The winner of the bid will pay for infrastructure investment.

However, the locality then said that no investors have participated in the bidding of these land lots despite many announcements, lasting from 2013 to 2015.

Notably, while the local departments were expected to reduce the bidding price, in January 2017, Tân Việt Phát Joint Stock Company asked for a policy to allow land allocation without bidding.

In March 2017, Lương Văn Hải, the then Permanent Vice Chairman of Bình Thuận Provincial People's Committee, signed a decision to withdraw the entire area of the above land lots managed by the Provincial Land Fund Development Centre, and at the same time let the Joint Stock Company Tân Việt Phát lease lot number 18 with a term of 50 years. Lots 19 and 20 were also assigned to this company for residential and commercial purposes. - VNS