The suspects allegedly operated under the cover of Bright Online LLC and Bright Online LLC Academy, colluding with foreign nationals to organize online exams and issue English certificates based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, known as CEFR, despite not being licensed to operate in Vietnam.

Among them, Do Van Manh, 44, also known as Do Manh Dung, residing in Hanoi, was identified as the ringleader who directly managed the entire operation. Manh is chairman of the council of the Institute of Education Management Science, or IEMS.

To organize exams and issue CEFR English certificates, Manh allegedly worked with several foreign nationals to turn an online foreign-language learning and testing platform into an education organization named Bright Online LLC Academy.

All blank certificates, embossed seals and signatures of the organization’s head were reportedly produced in Vietnam under Manh’s direction to legitimize the fake certificates.

Under the guise of an international organization, the group organized more than 120 exams, attracting over 80,000 participants. Each person paid between VND2 million and VND18 million (US$77-692), bringing the group nearly VND200 billion in illegal proceeds.

Based on the suspects’ alleged criminal acts, the Security Investigation Agency of Phu Tho Provincial Police prosecuted and arrested Do Van Manh; Dang Thi Huyen, born in 1996, a Hanoi resident and IEMS employee; and Jayaprakash Ethamukkalam, born in 1986, an Indian national currently living in Hanoi, on charges of fraud and appropriation of assets.

According to Phu Tho police, dismantling the network not only prevented a large-scale fraud scheme but also helped restore order to foreign-language training and certificate issuance activities.

Duc Hoang