Billion-Dollar Project Stretches Over a Decade
Major General Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Deputy Director of the C03 Department, provides updates on the case. Photo: Phạm Nam.
Major General Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Deputy Director of the C03 Department, stated that following directives from the Ministry of Public Security’s leadership, the C03 Department is reviewing all files and documents related to the project. The aim is to clarify the nature and extent of violations, as well as the responsibilities of involved organizations and individuals, based on the issued inspection conclusions.
The construction of the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, located on Lê Quang Đạo Street in Hanoi, began in 2009. The project aimed to create a modern, integrated facility to support the nation’s diplomatic activities.
However, after more than a decade, the project remains incomplete and has not been put into use as planned. Construction has often been sporadic and prolonged, resulting in significant public asset waste, reduced budget efficiency, and public frustration. According to inspection and audit findings, numerous legal provisions on investment and construction were not strictly adhered to during project preparation, approval, and implementation.
Notably, the total investment has been adjusted multiple times, increasing from the initial amount of over 3,400 billion VND to more than 4,000 billion VND. These adjustments were deemed to lack sufficient legal, economic, and technical justification, posing risks of budget losses and waste.
Procurement and Project Management Violations
The new Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters project.
The project’s implementation revealed several issues in contractor selection, contract signing, and execution. Some tenders showed signs of violating procurement regulations, leading to increased investment costs and reduced capital efficiency.
Additionally, project management and supervision were criticized as lax, with insufficient monitoring and oversight. This resulted in prolonged delays without effective investment outcomes, causing significant state asset waste. The Government Inspectorate found that certain individuals in leadership and management roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Project Management Board violated regulations on state asset management, leading to budget losses and waste.
These violations not only escalated costs and delayed the project but also damaged the reputation of state management agencies in the diplomatic sector. Based on inspection conclusions, the case was transferred to the Ministry of Public Security to investigate potential criminal violations and impose strict penalties as required.
The C03 Department’s leadership emphasized that investigating violations in the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters project aligns with the policy of rigorously addressing cases of significant public investment losses. This effort aims to strengthen financial and budgetary discipline.
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