On the afternoon of 18/8, the Hanoi People's Court questioned defendants in a corruption case involving Nguyen Ba Hoan, former deputy minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, who was serving as deputy minister of Home Affairs at the time of his arrest.
Hoan is accused, along with his subordinates at the Department of Overseas Labor Management, of extorting businesses to receive over 30 billion VND, with Hoan personally pocketing 16,3 billion VND.
In his testimony regarding the payments, Nghiem Quoc Hung, Chairman of Hoang Long Company, stated that his company, having operated for decades, had close ties with Deputy Minister Hoan and Department Director Tong Hai Nam. Hung admitted to making regular payments to officials, including Hoan, to facilitate business in the labor export sector. He recalled giving Hoan 170.000 USD, in addition to frequent gifts during holidays, describing it as a customary practice. These payments were consistently made in the officials' offices.
Hung acknowledged that as a major business owner, "every visit required something extra." When presiding judge Luu Ngoc Canh asked if operations would proceed properly without such payments, Hung replied, "Without money, things would definitely not be smooth." The bribe money was diverted from company profits, specifically from additional fees collected from laborers. Hung admitted that while the law prohibited these collections, he had informed the laborers, and they all accepted it.
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Former deputy minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan at the trial. *Photo: Danh Lam* |
Hung further testified that laborers seeking employment in South Korea's shipbuilding industry, under the E7 Visa category, had to navigate many stages of assessment. Companies could only recruit individuals after overcoming the Department's bureaucratic hurdles. According to the Prosecutor's Office, Nam and Hoan were identified as deliberately creating "sub-licenses" to complicate matters for businesses. This forced companies to seek assistance from the deputy minister, as they could not apply independently. Moreover, officials frequently suggested fees ranging from 100-400 million VND for new applications or license renewals.
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Defendants being escorted to court on the morning of 18/8. *Photo: The Bang* |
The investigative agency determined that Hoang Long Company maintained two accounting systems, with 1.200 billion VND kept off the books, resulting in 241 billion VND in tax damage. Consequently, Hung was prosecuted for violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences, but not for giving bribes. The agency found that Hung and several other labor export business owners showed signs of bribery. However, considering they made payments due to being obstructed and made difficult, coupled with their sincere declarations and complaints, the investigative agency did not pursue criminal charges against them.
During a search, investigators seized over 1,2 million USD in cash and other foreign currencies from Hoang Long Company. Before the trial, Hung's wife stated that she had paid additional money, fully compensating the 241 billion VND for her husband.
The trial is ongoing.
Thanh Lam
