According to the indictment, Quyen, from Vinh Long, devised a scheme to rent houses long-term, then falsely claim ownership to sell them. He also ordered fake land use rights certificates and house ownership certificates to mortgage and defraud people. The court ruled that Quyen's actions infringed on citizens' property rights, disrupted administrative order, and undermined civil transaction safety, necessitating severe punishment as a deterrent.

Accused Nguyen Van Quyen in court today. *Photo: Hai Duyen*

One such case involved a house on Ta Quang Buu Street, District 8 (now Chanh Hung Ward). In early 2022, Quyen rented this property from one woman for a three-year term. After taking possession, he presented the house to Ms. Thao, a prospective buyer, as his own property, agreeing to sell it for 1.75 billion VND. Quyen explained that the house was awaiting its official certificate, assuring Ms. Thao the transfer would be completed in a few months. Trusting him, Ms. Thao paid the full amount and moved in. To avoid detection, Quyen continued paying rent to the actual owner. When Ms. Thao repeatedly requested notarization of the transfer contract, Quyen ordered a fake certificate in his name, sending images via Zalo to stall the process. By July 2023, the real owner discovered Quyen had stopped paying rent and cut contact. Upon inspection, she found the house had been sold to Ms. Thao. Ms. Thao then realized she had been defrauded and reported the incident to the police.

Faking certificates for multi-billion VND loans

Beyond the house sale, Quyen repeatedly contacted an individual named Hoang (whose identity remains unknown) via Zalo, commissioning fake land use rights certificates and house ownership certificates for 5 million VND each. He used a forged certificate for a plot of land in Can Duoc district (now in Tay Ninh province), falsely claiming ownership to secure a loan of 1.8 billion VND. After making a partial repayment, Quyen severed contact, embezzling 1.2 billion VND. Employing similar tactics, Quyen used two more fake certificates to borrow 4.3 billion VND from Ms. Thuy. When the debt became due, he cited business losses, persuading Ms. Thuy to return the documents so he could mortgage them with a bank to repay the debt. Instead, he embezzled the money and fled.

The forensic examination report from the Ho Chi Minh City Police Criminal Technical Department confirmed that all land use rights certificates and house ownership certificates used by Quyen were fake. The total amount he embezzled from the three victims was 7.85 billion VND. Following the discovery of the crimes, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency initiated criminal proceedings against Quyen. He became a fugitive but was apprehended in February 2025. During both the investigation and trial, Quyen admitted to all his actions, stating he destroyed the fake documents to conceal his wrongdoing. The investigation into Hoang has been separated to continue verification and legal processing, as their identity and background could not be determined.

Hai Duyen