Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, 56, and Tran Manh Ha, 54, Deputy General Director of AIC, have been issued wanted notices by Ca Mau provincial police. Previously, both were indicted for violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences, under Clause 3, Article 222 of the Criminal Code.
Nhan is accused of fleeing on 19/6/2021, while Ha fled on 8/4/2022.
In connection with the case, Le Thi Linh Nhung, 43, an AIC employee, has been temporarily detained.
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Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan. *Photo: AIC*
Investigators allege that Nhan was the mastermind behind a scheme to help AIC win bids by directing individuals to commit fraudulent acts across various localities. In the Ca Mau case (formerly part of Bac Lieu province), Nhung was directly responsible for the bidding package to supply and install equipment for three automatic surface water monitoring stations. The former Bac Lieu Department of Natural Resources and Environment was the investor for this project.
Nhung allegedly used the legal entities of companies within the AIC ecosystem as "shell companies," inflating quotes, colluding with valuation units and individuals from the investor to legitimize bid documents. The accused is also alleged to have adjusted financial data and fabricated a 2014 audit report to ensure eligibility for bidding, ultimately causing damage to state assets.
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Automatic surface water monitoring station in Nha Mat ward, former Bac Lieu city. *Photo: Minh Phong*
An unscheduled inspection by the Bac Lieu Provincial Inspectorate revealed signs of over 43 billion VND in losses related to the project. The project, which began in 2017 with a total investment exceeding 50 billion VND, involved two main bidding packages: station construction, won by Thanh Kiem Co., Ltd. for over 1.8 billion VND; and equipment supply and installation, won by AIC for over 39 billion VND.
The inspection concluded that AIC purchased many pieces of equipment through intermediaries without direct contracts with manufacturers or owners. For 25 out of 70 pieces of equipment, the contract price was over 31 billion VND, yet the actual import value was only 25.5 billion VND, resulting in a difference of over 5.7 billion VND. Additionally, some installed equipment did not comply with the contract, lacked clear labels or origins, or had incorrect serial numbers.
The inspectorate also identified numerous violations during the formulation and approval of investment policies, project implementation, payment, and capital settlement, indicating significant losses and waste of over 43 billion VND from the state budget. The case file has been transferred to investigative agencies to clarify the responsibilities of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, various consulting units, valuation firms, construction and supervision contractors, and all related individuals.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan has been repeatedly identified by local courts as the mastermind, leader, and director of bid rigging and inflated equipment prices, causing serious damage to the state budget. Recently, she was sentenced to eight years in prison in a separate case. Combined with previous sentences, Nhan's total penalty is 30 years in prison, representing the maximum term for a fixed-term imprisonment.
An Minh
