Former director of Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center received bribes of more than 14 billion VND

The Police Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security has just concluded and proposed to prosecute Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, Chairman of AIC Company; Tran Manh Ha, Deputy General Director of AIC for the crimes of “Bribing” and “Violating regulations on bidding causing serious consequences”.

In the same case, defendant Duong Hoa Xo, former director of the Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center (Biotechnology Center), was accused of “receiving bribes”.

The defendants Tran Thi Binh Minh, former deputy director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Minh City, and her subordinate Phan Tat Thang were proposed to be prosecuted for “Abusing position and power while performing official duties”. In addition, there are 9 other defendants who are people from AIC company, price appraisal units… who are also proposed to be prosecuted for the act of “Violating regulations on bidding causing serious consequences”.

According to the conclusion, in 2014, the Biotechnology Center was approved for a plan to select a contractor to provide project equipment with phase 1 worth 149 billion VND; Phase 2 is worth about 200 billion VND and phase 3 is worth more than 75 billion VND.

Knowing this, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan proposed and the leader of the Biotechnology Center, Duong Hoa Xo, agreed to let AIC Company participate, creating conditions to win the bid. Defendant Tran Manh Ha proposed to let AIC achieve a profit of 40% of the value of the bidding packages and Mr. Xo also agreed.

In phase 1 of 2015, defendant Nhan agreed to let Phan Quoc Viet’s Viet A Company and Vimedimex Company act as a joint venture contractor. This group unifies the equipment list and forms a “green army” group to participate in the bidding.

Along with that, defendant Duong Hoa Xo, in collusion with AIC Company, hired a valuation company and requested a certificate to value the equipment to be purchased for 169 billion VND (higher than the original estimate of 149 billion VND). same as mentioned above). As a result, the AIC – Viet A joint venture won 2 bidding packages and Vimedimex won 1 bidding package of phase 1.

With 6 bidding packages of phases 2 and 3 conducted in the years 2017-2018, the defendants continued to rig bids and raise prices to ensure that the related business group AIC won the bid with a profit of 40%.

The investigation agency said that Duong Hoa Xo violated regulations, causing damage to the Biotechnology Center of more than 94 billion VND in 8 bidding packages. During the course of the crime, defendant Duong Hoa Xo was bribed 6 times by AIC people with a total of 14.4 billion VND.

Although defendant Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan is still on the run, the investigation agency based on the testimonies of Duong Hoa Xo, Phan Quoc Viet and other evidence to determine that this defendant was the mastermind and leader in letting the AIC group go. bid rigging, causing damage of more than 83 billion VND.

During the investigation, Phan Quoc Viet declared that he brought Viet A Company into a joint venture with AIC Company and directed his subordinates to find ways to build bidding documents in a direction that would benefit the whole group. Viet also assigned others to prepare “green army” documents for bidding. However, Phan Quoc Viet was not criminally prosecuted in this case.