Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung continues to be accused of letting people who are evading debt plant trees.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung in an environmental protection activity with the participation of Green Park Company

On June 13, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency issued a supplementary investigation conclusion into the case of smuggling and violations of regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste occurring in Mong Cai City (Quang Ninh), the Urban Technical Works Maintenance Board under the Hanoi Department of Construction, and the Hanoi Green Parks and Trees One Member Co., Ltd.

The investigation agency maintains its position of proposing to prosecute Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung for the crime of taking advantage of position and power while performing official duties.

Mr. Chung was first proposed for prosecution at the end of March, after which the Supreme People's Procuracy returned the case file, requesting additional investigation to clarify Mr. Chung's motives for profit when implementing the tree planting project.

In the same case, 14 other people were proposed to be prosecuted for four crimes: smuggling; violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing waste and loss; illegally printing, issuing, and trading invoices and documents for state budget payment; and lack of responsibility causing serious consequences.

Among them are Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hanh, General Director of Hanoi Green Parks and Trees Company Limited; Do Quang Tien, Director of Green Trees, Flowers and Ornamental Plants Enterprise and many officers of the Urban Infrastructure Maintenance Board of Hanoi Department of Construction, Hanoi Green Parks and Trees Company Limited.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung created conditions for the company to "have a close relationship"

According to the additional investigation, the planting, replacement and addition of trees in Hanoi was carried out from 2016 to 2019. Although a vice president was assigned to be in charge of this field, Mr. Chung still directly intervened and directed.

Since 2016, Mr. Chung requested to temporarily stop bidding in districts and reduce the focal point to the Department of Construction for implementation.

However, Mr. Chung then directed, imposed, and forced Mr. Le Van Duc (then director of the Department of Construction) to assign leaders and employees to place orders from the Green Ecology Company.

Notably, Green Eco Company was newly established in June 2016 and was considered "incompetent to bid" or receive orders.

The company's director, Bui Van Man, was identified as "having a close relationship with Nguyen Duc Chung," the conclusion stated.

At that time, Man was hiding from debt in Lam Dong when Mr. Chung called him to Hanoi to work on trees, the investigation conclusion stated.

Director of Green Ecology Company Bui Van Man and Deputy Director Hoang Thi Kim Loan

In addition to Man, Mr. Chung was also identified as having a "close relationship" with the defendant Vu Kien Trung, Chairman of Hanoi Green Parks and Trees Company Limited (Green Trees Company), a business under the Hanoi People's Committee. From here, Mr. Chung verbally directed and imposed on the Department of Construction to apply the ordering method to these two companies.

Following Mr. Chung's direction, the Urban Technical Works Maintenance Board under the Department of Construction did not organize a bidding, but signed a direct order contract with the Green Tree Company and the Green Ecology Company.

The investigation results determined that the Maintenance Board had ordered 10 contracts from the Green Tree Company worth more than 241 billion VND; and 6 contracts from the Green Ecology Company worth more than 43 billion VND. However, during the implementation of the contracts, the defendants joined hands to inflate the prices of trees, causing losses to the State of more than 34 billion VND.

Director declares spending billions for Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung to sponsor tree planting

In the decision to return the file, the prosecutor requested clarification of Nguyen Duc Chung's motive for profit when Vu Kien Trung declared that he gave 2.6 billion VND to the former Chairman of Hanoi and on holidays and Tet. Bui Van Man also stated that he bought and planted trees for Mr. Chung's close relatives for a total of more than 2 billion.

During the additional investigation, Vu Kien Trung maintained his statement that during the holidays and Tet from 2016-2018, he had repeatedly given money and gifts to Mr. Chung, totaling 2.6 billion. The purpose of giving this money was to thank Mr. Chung for creating favorable conditions and directing the Hanoi departments to place orders with the company.

Bui Van Man confessed to designing and planting several types of trees at Yen Khe Kindergarten (Phu Tho - next to Mr. Chung's parents' house) so that Mr. Chung could use his personal capacity to finance the construction. The total amount of money spent on planting trees was worth more than 1 billion.

Bui Van Man also planted many types of trees at Mr. Chung's parents' house worth nearly 140 million VND and planted trees at Mr. Chung's family temple worth 240 million VND.

The money to buy trees for Mr. Chung was taken by the debt-avoiding director from money obtained thanks to the chairman's facilitation of tree planting contracts with Hanoi.

During the further investigation, Mr. Chung maintained his statement denying receiving money from the two directors of the above company. He stated that he "did not receive any money from Vu Kien Trung".

According to Mr. Chung, Man's tree planting at Yen Khe Kindergarten was sponsored by former students of the school and fully paid for. The tree planting at her parents' house was also paid for by Mr. Chung.

In the first investigation conclusion, the investigation agency assessed that Mr. Chung gave evasive statements, denied his crimes, and blamed others.

"In order to conceal his criminal acts, defendant Chung issued one document but gave another verbal instruction," the investigation concluded, adding that Chung, for personal motives, used sophisticated and cunning tricks in this case.

According to Tuoi Tre