Police search the Long Thành District Land Development Center in late 2023. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — Vietnamese authorities have arrested three additional commune-level leaders as part of an expanding investigation into alleged corruption linked to land compensation and resettlement at the under-construction Long Thành International Airport.

Police in the southern province of Đồng Nai said the case centres on alleged abuse of power, bribery and fraud in the implementation of compensation and resettlement policies for residents whose land was acquired for this mega airport, one of Việt Nam’s largest infrastructure projects so far.

On Wednesday, investigators detained three leaders of Bình Sơn Commune in the formerly Long Thành District: Dương Ngọc Đức, acting chairman of the commune People’s Committee; Hoàng Hữu Minh, deputy chairman; and Lâm Hoàng Thanh Hải, chairman of the commune’s Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee.

They were detained to clarify their roles in alleged violations related to compensation and resettlement payments.

The arrests follow the earlier detention of Lê Văn Tiếp, chairman of the Long Thành District People’s Committee and head of the district’s compensation council for the airport project.

Several officials from the Long Thành District Land Development Center, including its director and deputy director, have also been charged.

In 2023, provincial police additionally launched a case involving allegations of bribery and property misappropriation tied to the project.

Three other individuals, including a land administration official and a local resident, were previously detained on charges including accepting bribes and fraud.

Investigators allege that irregularities occurred in verifying land origins, approving compensation claims and organising resettlement, including falsification of documents that affected compensation calculations and caused significant losses to the state budget.

During searches of facilities linked to the project, authorities confiscated more than 10,000 files related to land acquisition and resettlement.

Police are reviewing the records to determine the full extent of violations and identify those responsible.

The investigation is continuing and may expand further, authorities said.

Đồng Nai police have called on individuals involved in improper compensation payments to voluntarily report violations, return any illicit gains and cooperate with investigators in exchange for possible leniency.

Flagship national project

The land acquisition and resettlement programme for Long Thành airport was approved by the Government Prime Minister in late 2018, covering around 5,000 hectares.

The budget for site clearance and resettlement is estimated at more than VNĐ22.8 trillion ($905 million).

The airport is being developed by the state-controlled Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which manages 23 airports nationwide.

Designed to ease congestion at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất airport and serve as a future regional aviation hub, the broader Long Thành project carries a projected total investment of about VNĐ336.6 trillion ($14 billion).

In its first phase, the airport will feature two runways and a passenger terminal with annual capacity of 25 million passengers. Commercial operations are expected to begin later this year. — VNS