On 1/6, Nguyen Tien Mai, 41, a collaborator with the Pham Ngu Lao Ward Urban Order Team, and 4 accomplices, faced trial at the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court for bribery. The court adjourned the hearing until 30/6 because one defendant, out on bail, was absent due to poor health.
The Pham Ngu Lao Ward Urban Order Team, previously part of District 1 (now Ben Thanh ward), was established in 2015. Its purpose was to inspect, detect, document urban order violations, address sidewalk encroachment, and recommend enforcement.
As deputy head, Mai directly managed the team.
The indictment states that from 11/2021 to 12/2023, Mai instructed team members to collect money from businesses. In exchange, they overlooked violations concerning sidewalk usage and environmental sanitation.
When new businesses or instances of encroachment were found, Mai assigned on-duty staff to inspect them.
Mai then instructed Nguyen Thanh Tung, 35, and Do Khac Anh Khang, both team collaborators, to negotiate "monthly payments" with businesses. These payments ensured businesses would not receive citations or fines.
Businesses paid Tung and Khang directly or via transfer. The collaborators then reported to Mai, who distributed the money among team members.
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The defendants in court today. Photo: Binh Nguyen |
On 15/12/2023, the former District 1 Police received a complaint. A woman alleged Tung demanded monthly payments to avoid penalties for sidewalk usage violations.
That evening, Tung was caught accepting 750,000 dong from the woman.
The investigation expanded, and police received complaints from 32 others reporting similar behavior.
Authorities determined the defendants received over 518 million dong in bank transfers from businesses to overlook administrative violations. The group also received cash payments multiple times, though the exact amounts are unknown.
The prosecution identified Mai as the mastermind. He directly assigned tasks and set the collection amount for each business.
If the requested amount was not met, Tung negotiated further, following Mai's instructions.
Investigators determined that those who paid were coerced and reported the incidents proactively. Therefore, they will not face criminal charges.
Binh Nguyen
