The Ho Chi Minh City Communist Party Unit Wednesday suspended Huynh Ngoc Si, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Transport, who has been named in a Japanese court case as the receiver of bribes.
Prosecutors told a Tokyo court last week that Si, the head of the East-West Highway and HCMC Water Environment project, had accepted bribes from executives of Japan’s Pacific Consultants International (PCI), according to Japanese media reports.
Si was stood down Wednesday while Vietnamese authorities investigate the allegations.
 |
||
| Ho Chi Minh City | ||
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper on November 12 reported four former PCI executives - former President Masayoshi Taga, former Managing Director Kunio Takasu, former board director Haruo Sakashita and former Hanoi office chief Tsuneo Sakano – had pled guilty to bribery charges during a trial in a Tokyo District Court.
The newspaper said the men were charged with violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Law that bans Japanese citizens from bribing foreign government officials.
Prosecutors told the court on November 11 PCI had given Si more than US$2 million from 2002 to 2006 for helping the company win the consulting contract, funded by official development assistance (ODA), the newspaper reported. However, prosecutors could only establish a criminal case for bribes totaling $820,000 that were handed over in 2003 and 2006.
At the trial, former PCI President Takeya admitted the company had repeatedly bribed foreign government officials in other instances, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on November 13 told the National Assembly a joint committee of Japanese and Vietnamese officials had been set up to probe the matter further and deal with it in accordance with Vietnamese laws.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, the Government Office also announced PM Dung had instructed the HCMC municipal administration to expedite their investigations.
Project problems
The VND9.8 trillion (US$581.6 million) East-West Highway project, which will link District 1 to District 2, has been plagued by scandal in recent months.
In August, the project hit the headlines after the Thu Thiem Tunnel part of the project developed technical problems, including cracks in pre-constructed tunnel sections.
At the time, the Construction Ministry’s Department of Construction Works Quality Appraisal head Le Quang Hung told Thanh Nien the management board of the East-West Highway and HCMC water environment project would be held accountable for the cracks.
The contractor, Japanese Obayashi Corporation, and its design consultant, PCI, would have to bear responsibility as well, Hung said.
