Defendant Tran Xuan Yen in court last year.

The police have proposed launching legal proceedings against 11 people.

Among the 11 accused, eight were to be prosecuted for abusing their positions and power in performing official duties under clause 2, article 356 of the Penal Code 2015.

They were named as Tran Xuan Yen, former deputy director of Son La Education and Training Department; Lo Van Huynh, former head of examination and quality management section of the Son La Education and Training Department; Cam Thi Bun Son, Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Nguyen Thi Hong Nga, officials of Son La Education and Training Department; Dang Huu Thuy, former vice principal of To Hieu High School; and Do Khac Hung and Dinh Hai Son, officials of Son La Police.

Three others who face prosecution for bribery under clause 4, article 354 of the Penal Code 2015, include Hoang Thi Thanh, former president of the Farmers’ Association of Quynh Nhai District in Son La Province; Tran Van Dien, a staff member of Chieng Coi Primary and Secondary School in Son La City; and Lo Thi Truong, a resident of Son La City.

Huynh, Nga and Son would also be prosecuted for accepting bribes.

In the investigation, the accused were found to have altered exam scores of 44 students in the national high school examination which was held in June 2018.

More than 10,300 students in Son La Province sat for the exam that year.

Their average score was 4.21, the lowest in the country, but the number of candidates from Son La who got scores of 9 or more (out of 10) in mathematics and physics was reportedly much higher than those in other cities and provinces, including those traditionally scoring well like Hanoi or HCM City.

The police said that Truong gave VND300 million (US$13,000) to Huynh while Thanh gave VND400 million (US$17,000) to Son, to jack up the exam scores of their children.

Dien handed over VND1.04 billion (US$45,000) to Nga to alter the exam scores of four candidates.

Under questioning, Huynh confessed to having received VND1 billion (US$43,000) from Nguyen Minh Khoa, an official of Son La Police, to increase the scores for two candidates.

Huynh changed his testimony, saying he had not received money from Khoa.

The VND1 billion was from his savings and earned from selling land.

The police said that Khoa and others passed the candidates’ information to the defendants in the case. However, there was not enough evidence to establish a motive. So, they would not be prosecuted criminally.

In October last year, the Son La People’s Court opened a trial for the eight defendants for abusing their positions and powers in performing official duties in the exam-cheating scandal.
But after four days, the court returned the file for the investigation to be reopened. — VNS

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