The police have inspected Kim Văn Bốn’s house and seized a number of documents related to his embezzlement charges. — Photo plo.vn

NGHỆ AN — Police in the central province of Lai Châu have launched legal proceedings against Kim Văn Bốn, an official from the provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee’s Policy Affairs Sub-department on embezzlement charges.

Bốn, 38, is accused to have taken advantage of his position to forge papers to illegally appropriate hundreds of millions of Vietnamese đồng, causing losses to the State budget.

The money came from projects supporting socio-economic development of ethnic minority people in the 2016-25 period.

The project, which had been approved to support the Ơ Đu ethnic minority in Nghệ An, had total investment of VNĐ12 billion (US$516,200). It is divided into two phases. The first phase in 2016-20 had capital of VNĐ6.16 billion and the second phase in 2021-25 had VNĐ5.84 billion.

The project will be implemented in Nga My Commune’s Văng Môn Village and Lương Minh Commune’s Đửa Village in Tương Dương District. The provincial Ethnic Affair Committee was been authorised to carry out the project.

Although no Ơ Đu ethnic people live in Đửa Village, relevant agencies and local authorities still include 45 households with 231 people who are Thái and Khơ Mú ethnic minorities in the project.

Late in September last year, the provincial People’s Committee has excluded the Đửa Village from the project. The committee also requested the Ethnic Affairs Committee to exercise socio-economic development for ethnic minority people in accordance with State regulations.

The police inspected Bốn’s house and seized a number of documents related to his embezzlement charge.

An investigation is ongoing. — VNS