The Supreme People’s Procuracy on September 9 prosecuted Huynh Ngoc Si, former director of the Management Board of the East-West Avenue project in HCM City, on charges of “taking bribes.”

VietNamNet Bridge - The Supreme People’s Procuracy on September 9 prosecuted Huynh Ngoc Si, former director of the Management Board of the Japanese ODA-funded East-West Avenue project in HCM City, on charges of “taking bribes.”

Why Huynh Ngoc Si not be prosecuted for bribery yet?

According to the Procuracy’s indictment, Si took $262,000 from executives of Japan’s Pacific Consultants International (PCI) for awarding design and supervision consulting contracts to the company.

As ex-PCI officials were prosecuted on charges of bribery and violations of Japan’s anti-competition laws, they informed officials that Si accepted their bribes seven times. The Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency decided to continue further investigation.

The ex-employees of Japan’s PCI claimed that they gave Si bribes totaling $800,000 in exchange for consulting services for the East-West Avenue project. The bribes were given between 2003 and 2006, at a time when the project in HCM City was underway.

The East-West Avenue project was approved in 2000. It used a combination of the Japanese Government’s ODA and Vietnam’s capital.

On September 25, 2009, Si was sentenced to three years in jail on charges of “abuse of power” while carrying out the East-West Avenue and HCM City Water Environment Improvement project.

PV