On June 29, the provincial police announced that the Investigation Police Agency had initiated criminal proceedings for the offense of violating regulations on compensation, assistance and resettlement when the State recovers land, allegedly committed during the implementation of the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power project in Phuoc Dinh Commune.

The four suspects are:

Nguyen Huu Tan (born 1982), a public employee at the Phuoc Dinh Commune Construction Investment Project Management Board;

Han Tan Vinh An (born 1977), a public employee in the Economic Division of the Phuoc Ha Commune People's Committee;

Tran Huynh Kien Truc (born 1975), a public employee at the South Khanh Hoa Regional Land Development Center; and

Do Ngoc Quang (born 1957), Director of VT Anh Quan Trading and Services Co., Ltd.

All four are under investigation for the above offense.

According to investigators, the provincial Economic Police Division uncovered signs that multiple individuals had exploited government compensation, support and resettlement policies during the implementation of the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power project for personal gain.

Authorities alleged that the suspects engaged in a range of unlawful activities, including illegally occupying State-managed land to legitimize land-use records, purchasing land within the project area to benefit from future compensation, and using other individuals to hold land ownership on their behalf in order to receive compensation payments in violation of regulations.

Investigators also found indications that certain officials with public authority may have failed to fulfill their responsibilities or abused their positions by improperly certifying and reviewing compensation documents.

Given the seriousness of the case, the Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Police ordered the establishment of a special task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation and gather evidence.

According to police, the timely detection and investigation of the case helped prevent potential losses to the State budget estimated at trillions of Vietnamese dong.

Xuan Ngoc