The People’s Court in Binh Duong Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, on Monday opened a first-instance court hearing against 17 defendants for their alleged involvement in the illegal issuance of work permits to over 2,800 foreigners in Vietnam.

According to the indictment, the 17 defendants were charged with arranging and brokering the illegal stay of foreigners in Vietnam, taking bribes, giving bribes, abusing positions and powers while performing duties, and/or forging seals and documents from competent agencies and organizations.

The defendants include several former leaders from the Binh Duong Department of Labors, Invalids and Social Affairs; the Binh Duong Industrial Zones Authority; and the Economic Zone Authority of neighboring Binh Phuoc Province.

Many entrepreneurs and brokers also stand trial for allegedly giving bribes. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Kien Cuong, an ex-official from the labor policy unit of the Binh Duong Department of Labors, Invalids and Social Affairs, was accused of receiving bribes totaling over VND8.3 billion (US$339,580) in order to assess applications and support the issuance of work permits for thousands of foreigners working in Vietnam between 2017 and 2022.

Cuong said he shared the money with Le Minh Quoc Cuong, a former director of the Department of Labors, Invalids and Social Affairs, but the latter denied receiving bribes.

Quoc Cuong was indicted for allegedly abusing his now-former position and power by illicitly granted 518 work permits to foreigners.

Defendants in the court room. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Thanh Trung, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, and Dang Quang Viet, former deputy heads of the Binh Duong Industrial Zones Authority, were levied the same charges as Quoc Cuong.

Hoang Thanh, former head of the labor management unit of the Binh Duong Industrial Zones Authority, was accused of accepting over VND1.5 billion ($61,370) in bribes in order to support the approval of 467 work permit applications.

Dinh Thai Tuan, former head of the investment management at the Binh Phuoc Economic Zone Authority, was charged with allegedly accepting VND751 million ($30,714) to appraise 281 work permit applications from October 2019 to March 2022.

Lawyers at the court hearing. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre

The remaining defendants are representatives of enterprises who received bribes from foreigners in need of work permits as well as issued counterfeited documents, including health certificates, criminal record reports, and documents claiming foreign laborers were experts or business managers.

They also gave bribes to ex-officials of the Binh Duong Department of Labors, Invalids and Social Affairs and industrial and economic zone authorities.

Many of the issued work permits related to the case involved foreigners wishing to work in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time many were unable to return to their country.

The court hearing will last until Friday.

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