In the Saigon Dai Ninh case, the Supreme People’s Procuracy proposed to prosecute Mai Tien Dung, former Minister and former Chairman of the Government Office, and nine others for bribery and abuse of power. Nguyen Cao Tri, Chairman of Saigon Dai Ninh Company and Van Lang Education Investment Joint Stock Company, was charged with bribery.
According to the indictment, the Dai Ninh project in Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province, belonged to Saigon Dai Ninh Company (SGDN), chaired by Phan Thi Hoa. In 2018, the Government Inspectorate issued conclusions pointing out that during the implementation of the project, SGDN had not complied with its financial obligations and had not paid land use fees or compensation for damage to natural resources and the environment, despite repeated reminders. Therefore, the Government Inspectorate recommended that the Government revoke the project and reclaim the land.
Knowing that the project was recommended for revocation, Nguyen Cao Tri, in October 2020, agreed with Phan Thi Hoa to buy the Dai Ninh project by purchasing SGDN’s shares. Along with that, Nguyen Cao Tri took advantage of his relationships and used money and material interests to “bribe” officials working at the Government Office, the Government Inspectorate, and the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee of Lam Dong province to perform illegal acts. As a result, Inspection Conclusion No. 929 was changed to Conclusion No. 1033 dated June 30, 2021, and the Dai Ninh project was changed from “revocation of land and termination of the project” to “non-revocation, extension of the progress, and continuation of the project.”
The case file shows that before Nguyen Cao Tri invested in the Dai Ninh project, from 2019 to 2020, representatives of the Novaland Group had several meetings and negotiations with Phan Thi Hoa about acquiring the Dai Ninh project. However, due to financial constraints, this was temporarily halted, awaiting a more appropriate investment time.
In July 2020, when the project had been recommended for revocation by the Government Inspectorate, Novaland representatives learned that Ms. Hoa had submitted a petition requesting the reinstatement of the project and continued to wait to negotiate the purchase. In December 2020, Ms. Hoa arranged a meeting with the enterprise’s representatives and Nguyen Cao Tri, informing them that she had sold the project to Nguyen Cao Tri.
In 2022, Nguyen Cao Tri’s Lavender Company and Nova Real Estate Corporation (Novaland Group) signed a Confidentiality Agreement regarding the purchase of the project. Subsequently, Lavender Company and Thien Vuong Company (a member of the Novaland Group) signed a Principles Agreement for the transfer of shares.
The main content of the agreement was for Lavender Company and its shareholders to transfer 100% of the chartered capital in SGDN to Thien Vuong Company for a total transaction value of VND 27,600 billion, to be paid in five installments.
In October 2022, Thien Vuong Company made a payment of VND 2,700 billion but did not continue payments as agreed. After receiving the VND 2,700 billion, Nguyen Cao Tri used VND 700 billion to pay Ms. Hoa and VND 2,000 billion to repay debts, including advance payments to Ms. Hoa and his business activities.
During the investigation, Phan Thi Hoa voluntarily handed over nine land use right certificates (worth approximately VND 1,700 billion, according to Ms. Hoa) equivalent to the amount of VND 1,700 billion that she had received from Nguyen Cao Tri through the signing of the project share transfer contract.
The indictment of the Supreme People’s Procuracy stated that the Novaland Group was aware that the contract signed between Phan Thi Hoa and Nguyen Cao Tri for the transfer of the project was illegal, as at that time, the Dai Ninh project was under recommendation for revocation by the Government Inspectorate. In addition, the Novaland Group knew that Nguyen Cao Tri would have to perform illegal acts to adjust the inspection conclusion from revoking the land and terminating the project to extending the project progress. However, they still signed the share transfer agreement, which lacked a legal basis.
“Regarding the amount of VND 2,700 billion received by Nguyen Cao Tri from Novaland, this is the illegal benefit enjoyed by Tri from the chain of criminal acts committed by him and his accomplices. Moreover, Novaland also bears a certain degree of fault and responsibility for conducting transactions and signing contracts that do not comply with legal regulations. Therefore, it is necessary to confiscate this amount for the state budget”- the indictment stated.
The Arrest and Detention of the Female Official and the Former Head of the Natural Resources and Environment Department: A Tale of Corruption Unveiled.
The Baolam District Police Department, Lam Dong Province, has initiated a criminal investigation and detained the former Head of the District’s Natural Resources and Environment Office and a female official.