Violations by former Deputy Minister Nguyen Linh Ngoc led to a loss of more than 600 billion VND.

At the Government press conference on the afternoon of August 5, Major General Hoang Anh Tuyen, Deputy Chief of Office and spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, informed about the case that occurred at Thai Duong Group Joint Stock Company and related units.

According to Major General Hoang Anh Tuyen, to date, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency has prosecuted 26 defendants. Of these, the case has been completed and the investigation concluded with 1 defendant, and 25 defendants are being investigated for 4 crimes: Violating regulations on research, exploration, and exploitation of natural resources; Violating regulations on accounting causing particularly serious consequences; smuggling and consuming assets obtained by others through crime; Violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security also said that Mr. Nguyen Linh Ngoc, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, was prosecuted on July 22 for "Violating regulations on management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste".

Specifically, although Mr. Ngoc clearly knew that Thai Duong Group Joint Stock Company did not meet the conditions for licensing, he still assessed that it met the conditions and proposed to sign and issue a mineral exploitation license, handing over rare earth resources to this company.

According to Mr. Tuyen, currently, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency is continuing to expand the investigation, clarify violations, subjects related to the case and apply measures according to the law to recover State assets.

Previously, in addition to Mr. Ngoc, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency prosecuted the following: Nguyen Van Thuan, former Director General of the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam; Hoang Van Khoa, former Director of the Department of Minerals, General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam; Ho Duc Hop, Director and Le Cong Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Yen Bai...

In October 2023, Mr. Doan Van Huan, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director; Nguyen Van Chinh, Deputy General Director and Chief Accountant of Thai Duong Group Joint Stock Company were also prosecuted and temporarily detained.

According to the initial investigation results, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency determined that Mr. Huan and Mr. Chinh directed and organized the illegal exploitation and consumption of more than 11 million kilograms of rare earth ore worth about 440 billion VND and more than 152 million kilograms of iron ore worth about 192 billion VND, illegally profiting about 632 billion VND.

In addition, Mr. Huan and Mr. Chinh also agreed with Vietnam Rare Earth Joint Stock Company and Hop Thanh Phat Company in the process of buying and selling rare earth and iron ore, issuing VAT invoices to reduce the quantity and actual selling price, helping Thai Duong Group Joint Stock Company to leave out of the accounting books more than 28 billion VND earned from selling rare earth and iron ore, not fulfilling the obligation to declare and pay taxes, causing a loss to the State of more than 7.5 billion VND.