On January 14, the Hanoi People's Court began the first-instance trial of eight defendants involved in a case of bribery, bid violations, and serious misconduct in procurement regulations at Vietnam Education Publishing House (VEPH).

Bribery in procurement deals

From 2017 to 2021, Nguyen Duc Thai, former Chairman of the Members' Council and legal representative of VEPH, allegedly colluded with To My Ngoc, Chairwoman of Phung Vinh Hung Corporation, to award contracts to her companies. These included 13 printing paper procurement packages valued at 2.156 trillion VND (approximately $90 million).

Thai also collaborated with Nguyen Tri Minh, Director of Minh Cuong Phat Company, to award five procurement packages worth 209 billion VND ($8.7 million).

Thai directed his subordinates to violate procurement regulations to ensure that the companies of Ngoc and Minh were included in the shortlist of contractors for 2018–2021. After the companies secured contracts, Thai received bribes amounting to over 20 billion VND ($850,000) from Ngoc and 4.9 billion VND ($208,000) from Minh.

Admissions in court

During questioning, Thai admitted to receiving bribes as outlined in the indictment. He stated that when he assumed his position in 2017, he was unfamiliar with the operational intricacies of the company. Both Ngoc and Minh approached him, highlighting their long-standing relationships with VEPH and their competitive pricing.

Thai subsequently instructed Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, then Head of Marketing at VEPH, to facilitate their participation in the procurement process. He later realized that the competitive offering method applied to these contracts was non-compliant with regulations.

Ngoc and Minh regularly expressed their gratitude to Thai with cash during occasions like Tet (Lunar New Year) and Teacher’s Day. Thai admitted to using the bribe money for personal expenses and stated that he has since returned 25 billion VND to the authorities.

Other defendants' testimonies

Minh confessed to giving Thai bribes totaling over 4 billion VND, which included amounts given during Mid-Autumn Festival and directly in Thai’s office. The sums were calculated based on profit margins after subtracting operational costs.

Ngoc, who submitted a request to be tried in absentia, is accused of delivering over 20 billion VND in bribes to Thai.

This trial sheds light on systemic corruption in procurement processes and underscores the need for transparency in public institutions. The court proceedings will determine appropriate penalties for the accused and measures to address the misuse of power in state-run enterprises.

T. Nhung