Arrested Deputy Head of River Ship Department, Vietnam Register, along with 3 others

Police executed the decision on Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Head of the River Ship Department, Vietnam Register. (Source: Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper)

Expanding the investigation into the case of bribery, bribery brokerage, bribery acceptance and forgery in work occurring at the Vietnam Register, the Registration Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and some southern provinces, the City Police Investigation Agency has prosecuted and temporarily detained Nguyen Tuan Anh (Deputy Head of the River Ship Department, Vietnam Register), Pham Dinh Tham (Inspector, River Ship Department, Vietnam Register), Luong Duc Thai (Deputy Director of Hai Hung Registration Sub-Department, Hai Duong Province) and Vu Duc Nhat (Deputy Head of Hai Hung Registration Sub-Department, working at the River Ship Department, Vietnam Register) to investigate the crime of "Receiving bribes" as prescribed in Article 354 of the Penal Code.

Specifically, during the investigation of Inspection Sub-Department No. 6 (Ho Chi Minh City) and Inspection Sub-Department No. 9 (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province), the Investigation Agency determined that, in addition to giving money to inspectors at the above two Sub-Departments to ignore errors in the process of conducting inspections and issuing certificates of technical safety and environmental protection for inland waterway vehicles, the subjects also prepared design appraisal records; contacted and connected with officers of the River Vessel Department, Vietnam Register to obtain design appraisal certificates for newly built vehicles and design appraisals for conversions and renovations.

In addition, during the investigation of the case of "Violation of regulations on resource exploitation" that occurred on May 6, 2022 in the Con Ngua sea area (Can Gio district), Ho Chi Minh City Police temporarily detained the ships that the subjects used to illegally exploit sand. Investigating and clarifying these vehicles, the Police determined that a number of inspectors of the Hai Hung Inspection Sub-Department and the River Vessel Department, Vietnam Register, had received bribes during the process of granting design appraisal and inspection for these vehicles.

Previously, on February 9, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency conducted a search of the Vehicle Inspection Sub-Department No. 9 (No. 102 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street, Thang Tam Ward, Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) and the Vehicle Inspection Sub-Department No. 6 (No. 130 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). These are two Vehicle Inspection Sub-Departments under the Vietnam Register in charge of inspecting waterway vehicles. On February 16, the Investigation Agency prosecuted 14 subjects.

Specifically, Hoang Van Duy (Director of Inspection Department No. 9), Le Hai Hoa, Vu Phuong Huy, Nguyen Van Hien (Inspectors of Inspection Department No. 9); Pham Viet Dung, Pham Tien Binh, Pham Van Duong, Nguyen Van Duan, Mai Ngoc Cuong, Nguyen Van Dong (Inspectors of Inspection Department No. 6) were prosecuted for the crime of "Receiving bribes" under the provisions of Article 354 of the Penal Code. The defendants Thai Viet Anh, Bui Long Khuong, Pham Manh Hung, and Duong Xuan Che were prosecuted for the crime of "Giving bribes" under the provisions of Article 364 of the Penal Code.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thi Kim Ly, Chief of the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency, due to accepting bribes, the defendants, who are employees of Inspection Sub-Departments No. 6 and No. 9, cut short the inspection process but did not allow the ship to go on the dock, ignoring violations such as not ensuring fire prevention and fighting...

According to VNA