Defendant Trần Xuân Yến in court last year. — VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

SƠN LA — The Investigation Police Agency in the northern province of Sơn La has concluded another investigation into cheating scandal in the national high school exam in the province two years ago.

The police have proposed launching legal proceedings against 11 people.

Among the 11 accused, eight were to be prosecuted for abusing their positions and power in performing official duties under clause 2, article 356 of the Penal Code 2015.

They were named as Trần Xuân Yến, former deputy director of Sơn La Education and Training Department; Lò Văn Huynh, former head of examination and quality management section of the Sơn La Education and Training Department; Cầm Thị Bun Sọn, Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn and Nguyễn Thị Hồng Nga, officials of Sơn La Education and Training Department; Đặng Hữu Thuỷ, former vice principal of Tô Hiệu High School; and Đỗ Khắc Hưng and Đinh Hải Sơn, officials of Sơn La Police.

Three others who face prosecution for bribery under clause 4, article 354 of the Penal Code 2015, include Hoàng Thị Thành, former president of the Farmers’ Association of Quỳnh Nhai District in Sơn La Province; Trần Văn Điện, a staff member of Chiềng Cơi Primary and Secondary School in Sơn La city; and Lò Thị Trường, a resident of Sơn La City.

Huynh, Nga and Sọn would also be prosecuted for accepting bribes.

In the investigation, the accused were found to have altered exam scores of 44 students in the national high school examination which was held in June 2018.

More than 10,300 students in Sơn La Province sat for the exam that year.

Their average score was 4.21, the lowest in the country, but the number of candidates from Sơn La who got scores of 9 or more (out of 10) in mathematics and physics was reportedly much higher than those in other cities and provinces, including those traditionally scoring well like Hà Nội or HCM City.

The police said that Trường gave VNĐ300 million (US$13,000) to Huynh while Thành gave VNĐ400 million (US$17,000) to Sọn, to jack up the exam scores of their children.

Điện handed over VNĐ1.04 billion (US$45,000) to Nga to alter the exam scores of four candidates.

Under questioning, Huynh confessed to having received VNĐ1 billion (US$43,000) from Nguyễn Minh Khoa, an official of Sơn La Police, to increase the scores for two candidates.

Huynh changed his testimony, saying he had not received money from Khoa.

The VNĐ1 billion was from his savings and earned from selling land.

The police said that Khoa and others passed the candidates’ information to the defendants in the case. However, there was not enough evidence to establish a motive. So, they would not be prosecuted criminally.

In October last year, the Sơn La People’s Court opened a trial for the eight defendants for abusing their positions and powers in performing official duties in the exam-cheating scandal.

But after four days, the court returned the file for the investigation to be reopened. — VNS