The Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security on December 9 initiated a lawsuit against a bribe-giving and -taking case (under Articles 279 and 289 of the Penal Code) which occurred in the course of execution of the Project on East-West Highway and Water Environment in Ho Chi Minh City.
The initiation came after four Japanese executives of the Pacific Consultancy International (PCI) last month pleaded guilty to giving bribe to Huynh Ngoc Sy, head of the project management unit and former deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Transport Service.
The Japanese bribers confessed to paying from ODA source USD 0.82 million (USD 0.6 million in 2003 and USD 0.22 million in 2006) in bribes to Huynh Ngoc Sy to seize consultancy contracts.
On November 18, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung instructed Vietnamese functional agencies to collaborate with Japanese partners in investigating and clarifying the case.
Huynh Ngoc Sy was suspended from working under a decision of the President of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to serve investigation.
This bribe case has made Japan, which used to be Vietnam’s leading ODA donor, suspend its ODA for Vietnam until effective anti-corruption measures are in place.-