VietNamNet Bridge - The General Directorate of Fisheries has punished its Director of Aquaculture Department Bui Duc Quy for making fake seafood certificates for the circulation of 800 substandard aquaculture products when he was the Director of the Center for Aquaculture Testing with other officials. 

Quy and Le Tuan Anh, deputy head of the Administrative Management Department of the General Directorate of Fisheries were expelled from the Communist Party and removed from their post. Five employees of the Center for Aquaculture Testing were fired and one was given a warning.

The General Directorate of Fisheries said that in April 2015, the agency received denunciations of some officials and staff of the Center for Aquaculture Testing who abused their positions and power to forge the certificate of circulation of aquatic products and aquaculture environment rehabilitation products to seek profit for themselves.

Specifically, these people made fake certificates for 140 animal feed products and 668 products for the treatment and rehabilitation of aquatic environments contrary to the provisions of law.

Investigations showed that from early 2013, Quy, who was the center director at that time, colluded with five employees - Nguyen Huy Ban, Do Thi Ha, Pham Hong Quan, Vu Thi Thu, Nguyen Thi Ha, Nguyen Van Dung - and Le Tuan Anh, deputy head of the Administrative Management Department of the General Directorate of Fisheries, to make fake dispatches and issued illegal dispatches to add substandard products into the list of licenced products for circulation.

Quy received VND912 million ($45,000) from Vu Thi Thu.

According to regulations, before distributed, aqua products and products for treating and improving environment in aquaculture must be inspected and given certificates by the Quality Assurance and Testing Centre 3. However, it was discovered that firms could just pay VND5m immediately for the approval of one product since 2013.

The General Directorate of Fisheries has revoked all illegal dispatches issued by Quy and forced the violators to pay back nearly VND1.2 billion ($60,000) they received from businesses in this case to the state budget.

After the punishments were announced, Le Tuan Anh filed a complaint and said the punishments were too heavy, lacked legal grounds and had been rushed. He claimed the process and result violated procedures in accordance with Decree 34 which outlines sanctions for state officials.

According to Anh, his job was only stamping the papers after they had been approved by the director, leaders of sub units, other offices and departments. He was not responsible for the content. He said his co-workers faked the papers and tricked him into stamping them.

"I can confirm that I haven't done anything wrong in stamping those papers," he said. "I realised that I was taken advantage of by my co-workers who exploited loopholes in our system. I have no motive nor connection to any of the wrongdoings. My faults lie in lax management."

He went on to say that the inspectorate of the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries was unable to provide evidence that he was involved in any wrongdoings.

"Why the Directorate of Fisheries hasn't transferred this case to other agencies for further investigation and prosecution? I suspect that the directorate is covering up for individuals," he said.

Thu Ly