HCMC – Nguyen Duc Thai, former chairman of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, may face penalties of up to 20 years in prison, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty for allegedly accepting bribes totaling VND25 billion.
The Supreme People’s Procuracy has issued an indictment in the case, which involves eight individuals connected to the publishing house, according to local media reports.
Thai is charged under Clause 4, Article 354, with accepting bribes. Five other former leaders and officials of the publishing house are charged with violating bidding regulations that resulted in severe consequences.
Nguyen Tri Minh, director of Minh Cuong Phat Paper Company, and To My Ngoc, former chairwoman of Phung Vinh Hung Company, are accused of offering bribes.
The indictment reveals that procuring paper for educational book printing is a routine operation of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, funded by its production and business resources. Appointed as chairman in March 2017, Thai held decision-making authority over paper procurement for printing educational books.
Thai allegedly facilitated Phung Vinh Hung’s success in winning contracts to supply paper for the 2018-2019 school year.
With Thai’s backing, Phung Vinh Hung secured 10 bidding packages from 2018 to 2021, worth nearly VND1,600 billion.
Between 2017 and 2022, Thai reportedly accepted VND20 billion from the chairwoman of Phung Vinh Hung, aiding the company in winning 13 packages valued at over VND2,100 billion.
Thai is further accused of accepting VND4.9 billion from Minh Cuong Phat’s director and instructing his subordinates to formalize bidding procedures to favor Minh Cuong Phat.
