According to the investigation results, a group of individuals with multiple prior convictions and records exploited the name of a company to interfere and manipulate land use rights auctions in Chín Mười and Bườn villages, Đông A ward, Ninh Bình province (formerly Mỹ Thắng commune, Nam Định city).
Individuals involved in the land price manipulation case in Ninh Bình.
Notably, this group colluded with nearly 100 local residents to rig and manipulate auction results.
The review revealed that many auctioned land plots had very low price differences, ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 VND per square meter compared to the starting price. Unusual signs were concentrated in 9 prime-location plots near the road in Chín Mười and Bườn villages, Đông A ward.
According to the police, this area is a traditional craft village with high demand for land to build factories and houses. Seizing the opportunity, the individuals proactively contacted locals and organized multiple meetings before the auction to agree on prices and select the winning bidder. The remaining participants were promised compensation for the price difference at the starting price to ensure the chosen individual won the auction.
The two ringleaders, both with multiple prior convictions, established a land reclamation company after serving their sentences to create a legal cover. They then deeply intervened in land auctions, illegally profiting from hundreds of millions to billions of VND per plot, causing over 20 billion VND in losses to the state budget from the 9 manipulated plots alone.
Prosecuting agencies are carrying out procedures in accordance with the law.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Hùng, Deputy Head of the Ninh Bình Provincial Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, stated: “This group of individuals with prior convictions and records, hiding behind a company, organized and rigged land auctions to profit, causing state asset losses.”
Investigators are further clarifying whether some individuals within government agencies colluded with the group to access the list of auction participants. Additionally, the police are expanding the investigation into other auctions in the area with similar signs of manipulation.
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The guiding principle behind land price regulation is to strike a delicate balance between land usage fees, land rental fees, and compensation when the state retrieves the land. This equilibrium also extends to various land users and the state itself.
