National Assembly deputies have raised concerns about how senior officials in Lao Cai Province apparently benefited from a land auction four years ago.

The 2,700 square metre land plot belongs to top provincial officials in Lao Cai Province

Luu Binh Nhuong, a National Assembly deputy from Lao Cai Province, said that the 2,700 square metre land plot, which is located at a very favourable location in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, belongs to top provincial officials.  

Nhuong said that to ease the public doubt, representatives of these house owners as well as Lao Cai authorities should explain to the public how they could own this specific piece of land. 

“They have nothing to be afraid of when they do not violate any auctioning regulations and conform to the law. It is necessary to explain to people as soon as possible to avoid misunderstanding. Lao Cai should hold an official press conference on the case,” Nhuong added.

He noted that Lao Cai authorities and particularly the land plot owners should not have refused to answer reporter questions about the case as this only raises public dissatisfaction and scepticism over corruption practices. 

Vu Xuan Cuong, vice chairman of Lao Cai People’s Council, claimed the auction of the plot was totally lawful.

NA Deputy Duong Trung Quoc said that to date, it cannot to confirm that the land was auctioned legally, so an inspection should be carried. But it is easy to recognise that the house owners were very wealthy.

Earlier, the land plot was the river bed. It was then filled and auctioned at VND90 billion (USD4 million). 

To date, six mansions have been built on the plot, covering between 400-600 square metres each. 

Miraculously, all the land auction winners turned out to be senior provincial officials.     

dtinews