Bac Giang Provincial Party Secretary Duong Van Thai was arrested.

On May 4, Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, said the above at the regular Government press conference in April. The prosecution decisions against Mr. Thai were implemented by the Investigation Police Agency, Ministry of Public Security, on May 1.

From December 2014 to December 2023, Thuan An Group directly or in joint ventures won 38 bids in 16 provinces and cities across the country with a total value of VND23,000 billion. The Ministry of Public Security found that in 2022-2023 alone, Thuan An "developed rapidly", winning many bids worth VND18,000 billion, many of which were part of the economic recovery and development program after Covid-19. This was considered by the investigation agency to be "very special".

The Ministry of Public Security's spokesperson said that the accused Pham Thai Ha (former Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, Assistant to the National Assembly Chairman) and Nguyen Duy Hung (Chairman of Thuan An Group) confessed "very honestly, with many details and circumstances to clarify the case". The Ministry of Public Security called on those who committed violations to turn themselves in to receive leniency before the law.

10 days ago, Mr. Pham Thai Ha was arrested on charges of taking advantage of his position and power to influence others for personal gain.

The case at Thuan An Group was announced by the Ministry of Public Security on April 15 when it arrested Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung and Nguyen Khac Man, Deputy General Director, for violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences and bribery. Mr. Tran Anh Quang, General Director, was arrested for bribery.

Thuan An Group Joint Stock Company (Thuan An Group), formerly Thuan An Construction Development and Trading Joint Stock Company, was established in 2004. This enterprise operates in the fields of investment, construction of technical infrastructure works, trading in electricity, renewable energy, and real estate.

In Bac Giang, the enterprise participated in the consortium to build Dong Viet bridge, invested by the Provincial Management Board of Traffic and Agricultural Construction Projects, with a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND.

Secretary of the Bac Giang Provincial Party Committee Duong Van Thai, 54 years old, has a political career closely associated with his hometown. He used to be the Head of the Bac Giang Town Tax Department; Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Bac Giang City People's Committee; Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee. He has been Secretary of the Bac Giang Provincial Party Committee since October 2020.

Since June 2022, Mr. Thai has been the Head of the Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption and Negativity in Bac Giang. In this position, he has repeatedly requested that "collectives and individuals who commit violations must be promptly and strictly handled in the spirit of handling the violations to the extent of the violation, without exclusion or forbidden areas in anti-corruption".

Before his arrest, Mr. Thai was a member of the 15th National Assembly and Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Bac Giang Province. On April 26, the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed to the request of the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuracy to prosecute, temporarily detain, and search his residence and workplace. Yesterday afternoon, the National Assembly dismissed Mr. Thai from his position as a National Assembly delegate.

The 2013 Constitution and the Law on the Organization of the National Assembly stipulate that National Assembly deputies cannot be arrested, detained, held in custody, or prosecuted without the consent of the National Assembly or the National Assembly Standing Committee. In the case of deputies caught red-handed committing a crime and being detained, the detaining agency must report to the National Assembly or the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration and decision.