Son's testimony was given on the morning of 19/8, as the Hanoi People's Court continued the trial involving former Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan, eight subordinate officials, and dozens of businesses. Son is accused of brokering bribery.

During questioning, businesses and the prosecution stated that payments stemmed from officials creating difficulties and extorting money. Conversely, some former officials claimed businesses were "misunderstanding," asserting they did not harass but merely received "thank-you money," totaling 30,2 billion VND.

Son was identified as an intermediary in 14 of the 29 bribery cases and was questioned by the trial panel about his role.

The 30-day process that turned into two years

Son testified that he provided a "service" to assist labor export businesses in obtaining licenses. The regulated fee per application was 5 million VND, but he charged clients between 650 million and one billion VND.

Of the 29 irregular applications, Son brokered 14 cases, collecting a total of 11 billion VND and keeping 5,9 billion VND. The remaining 5,1 billion VND was used to "grease the wheels" for officials at the Department, with approximately 400 million VND allocated per new application, regardless of whether the application had deficiencies.

Son stated that these amounts were directly negotiated with Department officials at coffee shops or private residences.

According to the defendant, this situation persisted for years. Without payments, applications could be delayed from eight months to one year, or even two years. During the waiting period, businesses still incurred operating costs, leading them to accept these payments as a form of "opportunity cost" to expedite application processing.

The prosecution asked Son: "What specific actions by Department officials indicated extortion or obstruction?"

Son stated he sympathized with officials, as the multi-step process might make a 30-day deadline insufficient. However, regulations stipulate that after 30 days, if an application is unsatisfactory, the Department must issue a written explanation and guidance on required additions. According to Son, without payments, businesses would not even receive such a response.

Called for cross-examination, Nguyen Thanh Hung, the official who directly "negotiated the price" with Son, affirmed that he had sent written responses, "but whether the documents reached the businesses depended on the postal service."

Hung claimed that some businesses faced issues with facility requirements, needing additions or repairs, so applications taking six to eight months were normal. Regarding the money, the defendant said Son offered it himself, and there was "no agreement between them."

"So, you did not intentionally delay applications or set a bribery amount?" the prosecution asked, noting that this testimony differed from the investigation phase. The prosecutor offered to disclose previous statements if necessary.

Hung later admitted to creating difficulties and "negotiating prices," requesting that his previous statements not be disclosed again.

Former Deputy Minister Nguyen Ba Hoan (top row, third from left) in court. *Photo: Danh Lam*

'Tradition of mobilizing business resources' at the department

The prosecution cited Hung's testimony during the investigation, stating that extortion had become a long-standing "tradition" at the Department, and asked the defendant to clarify when this practice began.

Hung testified he was unaware of previous periods, but this practice had existed since he began working there in 2017 and continued until the case was uncovered.

According to Hung, he did not act independently but was "summoned and instructed" by Department Director Tong Hai Nam to "mobilize business resources and contribute to the agency's operations."

"How did you interpret your superior's instruction?" the prosecution asked.

Hung replied that when businesses offered "thank-you" money, he collected it to submit to the agency.

Called for cross-examination, Tong Hai Nam immediately denied this, stating that "such a thing is impossible." According to the former department director, Hung was not an office staff member, had no responsibility for external relations, and he had not instructed Hung to carry out these actions.

"Could a subordinate make such decisions independently? Why didn't you prevent it, yet you accepted money regularly 29 times and even shared it with the deputy minister? Receiving money so consistently, didn't you wonder about its source?" the prosecution pressed.

Nam testified that he once asked Hung: "Why is the money so consistent? If it's extorted money, I won't accept it." The defendant affirmed he believed it was "thank-you" money from businesses, which is why he accepted it.

The former department director also claimed that the "ancillary permits" were established with "pure and impartial motives" to tightly control the complex overseas labor market. Only after his arrest did he realize "how much difficulty he had caused people."

"When you establish a process that you know cannot be followed, forcing people to offer money for favors, you would know immediately. There's no need for investigators to tell you," the prosecutor retorted.

Nam then began to speak about his family circumstances and career history but was asked by the prosecution to stop.

The trial is ongoing.

Thanh Lam