Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng at the press briefing after the Government meeting on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Government officials Wednesday provided further details to the media regarding matters of concern among the public recently.

Answering reporters’ queries at the Government meeting for August, officials addressed a number of topics.

Regarding the Đông Đô University case, where since 2016 certificates of English language proficiency for thousands of people without the need to take classes or sit for exams, Major General Nguyễn Duy Ngọc, Deputy Minister of Public Security, said the criminal proceedings have begun against five people.

Earlier, the ministry issued an arrest warrant against Trần Khắc Hùng, 47, chairman of the Board of Directors and head of the Training Institute at Đông Đô University on charges of forgery.

“The result of the investigation will be publicised once the process is completed,” he said.

Deputy minister of education and training Lê Hải An said in 2018 the ministry had conducted inspection with Đông Đô University, but so far, it has not concluded.

“The university leader sent a document to the ministry, saying that all documents were sealed since the school was moving to a new location. The inspection was thus delayed,” An said.

Asanzo’s case

Another reporter questioned about the result of the investigation on the allegation that the company Asanzo had been selling Chinese goods disguised as made-in-Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Đỗ Thắng Hải said the ministry had worked with the National Steering Committee 389, or the National Steering Committee against Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods, on the problem.

In a related move, the National Steering Committee 389 yesterday sent an urgent dispatch to the relevant ministries and agencies, calling for the release of inspection results related into allegations Asanzo committed product origin fraud, as the case has dragged on for two and a half months.

The committee said it had asked the ministries of Industry and Trade and of Science and Technology as well as the general departments of Vietnam Customs and Taxation on July 24 to jointly provide the report to the MPS investigators.

The date of August 30 was the deadline for government agencies to submit its conclusion to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc over the investigation.

However, the investigators have not received anything related to the case from the ministries and agencies to date.

AVG deal

Regarding the case of the AVG deal, in which Phạm Nhật Vũ, former chairman of the private pay TV firm, bribed senior government officials with millions of dollars, a reporter questioned the meaning of the special clemency policy be applied to Vũ during his prosecution and trial.

In the case, investigators said Vũ bribed government officials to make favourable decisions in the acquisition by state-owned telecom giant MobiFone.

According to the country’s Penal Code, Vũ faced between 12 and 20 years in jail since the value of the bribes exceeded VNĐ1 billion ($430,000). But investigators proposed Vũ be given special clemency because he had actively cooperated throughout the investigation, made many contributions to the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, engaged in other social welfare activities.

Major General Nguyễn Duy Ngọc from the public security ministry said the policy was proposed to be applied with those who co-operated with the police and actively engaged in repairing the consequences.VNS