Prosecution of Cong Minh tree case: Winning bid, 50 companies stretch out their tentacles to hunt for projects

Participate in the construction of bid prices from the project establishment stage

On the afternoon of July 8, at a press conference to announce the situation and results of police work in the first 6 months of this year, a representative of the Department of Security Investigation, Ministry of Public Security (A09) said that on May 8, 2024, the Security Investigation Agency initiated a case of Violating regulations on bidding causing serious consequences, Giving and receiving bribes occurring at Cong Minh Greenery Company Limited (Cong Minh Company) and related localities.

The Security Investigation Agency determined that Cong Minh Company colluded with investors to participate in the construction of the bidding package price from the project establishment stage. After the contract price was approved, this company would be designated as the winning bidder or use other legal entities in the system to participate in the bidding and win the bid.

Ecosystem of 50 companies reaching out to all provinces and cities

The review results show that there are about 50 companies in the Cong Minh Company ecosystem participating in bidding for over 600 packages in many localities.

Cong Minh Greenery Company Limited won the independent bid for the construction package of the central flower garden project in Dak Mam town (Krong No district) worth more than 8 billion VND. Photo: Hai Duong

Cong Minh Green Tree Company was established in 1993, the predecessor was a production and trading facility for plant varieties and urban green trees in Dong Nai province and then moved to Phuoc Long - Song Be district (currently Binh Phuoc province).

In 1999, the company established a green tree and ornamental plant facility, Cong Minh plant varieties in Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province. Since 2006, Cong Minh Company has expanded its field of dredging and drainage construction, construction of sidewalks, concrete yards, and lighting. The scale and total investment of the company's projects have increased year by year.

Won many 'huge' bids

According to preliminary statistics on the national bidding network, Cong Minh Company has participated in 228 bid packages in all provinces and cities with a high winning rate. Excluding bid packages with no results or cancelled bid packages, Cong Minh's winning rate is 172/209 bid packages, equivalent to more than 82%.

According to VietNamNet, in Ho Chi Minh City, in June 2022, the Urban Management Department (Thu Duc City People's Committee) approved the results of the contractor selection for the tree care project in the city in 2022-2023 worth more than 64 billion VND. Accordingly, the consortium of District 2 Public Service LLC - Green Environment Construction LLC - Cong Minh Company won the bid with a winning bid of more than 51.7 billion VND.

Then, in July 2022, the Urban Management Department approved the results of the contractor selection for the 2022-2023 Thu Duc City drainage system dredging project with a bid value of 94.8 billion VND. The joint venture of District 2 Public Service LLC - Cong Minh Company - Ha Thanh Construction Investment Consulting JSC won the bid with a winning bid price of 92.9 billion VND.

In Long An, in April 2022, the Urban Upgrading Project Management Board of Tan An City People's Committee approved the bidding results for the urban power supply and lighting service package for the consortium of Cong Minh Company - Thien Minh Lighting Joint Stock Company with a winning bid price of 10.1 billion VND.

In Binh Duong, in March 2021, the Management Board of the Binh Duong Provincial Administrative Center issued a decision approving the bidding results for the package of planting and replacing trees around the Provincial Administrative Center area. The consortium of Cong Minh Company and Duy Tan Environmental Construction Service Trading Company Limited won the bid with a value of 9.45 billion VND.

In Binh Phuoc, in January 2022, Dong Xoai City Public Works Enterprise also selected Cong Minh Company as the contractor to carry out the contract for maintaining and taking care of trees and grass in Dong Xoai City in 2022 with a bid value of more than 24.78 billion VND. Cong Minh Company's winning bid price was 24.68 billion VND.

In January 2020, the Joint Venture Cong Minh - Huy Hoang Construction and Trade Consulting Company Limited was announced by the Phu Rieng District Economic Infrastructure Department to win the bid for the tree planting and infrastructure construction package of the district's central park with a package value of 6.13 billion VND.

In Dak Nong province, Cong Minh Company has implemented many tree planting and care packages in the province. Specifically, the two packages of Cong Minh Company in partnership with Nghia Ha Construction Company Limited include: Package of cleaning inner-city roads and flower gardens; Dredging drainage ditches; Clearing and cutting grass in the West Lake area and the inner town of Dak Mil; Operating the public lighting system in Dak Mil district in 2020-2021 (winning bid value of over 1.7 billion VND).

In addition, there is the bidding package for the Operation of public lighting system in Dak Mil district in 2021-2022 (winning bid value of more than 2.8 billion VND).

The two packages that this enterprise won independently include: Construction of the Central Flower Garden Project of Dak Mam Town, Krong No District, in 2018, worth more than 8 billion VND, and the construction package of the Green Garden Project in the Border Guard Overpass area of ​​Dak Nong Province (National Highway 14, through Gia Nghia Town), worth more than 6 billion VND in 2018.

An article in the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper described in detail the ecosystem related to Cong Minh Company when it continuously won projects with a total value of more than 100 billion VND in Dak Nong.

According to information published by this newspaper, in December 2014, Cong Minh Dak Nong Company Limited was established and first registered at the Department of Planning and Investment of Dak Nong province. By February 2017, Cong Minh Dak Nong Company Limited changed its name to Viet Nam Xanh Construction Consulting Company Limited (abbreviated as Viet Nam Xanh Company). The company's legal representative also changed continuously in the projects that Viet Nam Xanh Company won bids for at the Provincial Party Committee Office, Dak Nong Provincial People's Committee, Gia Nghia City, Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and districts.

Also involved in winning bids for tree planting, care, and cleaning in Dak Nong is Nghia Ha Construction Company Limited (abbreviated as Nghia Ha Company), established in 2002, in Nghia Thanh ward, Gia Nghia city.

This company also changed its legal representative 6 times. Among them, many people were former directors of Viet Nam Xanh Company.

According to the investigation of the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, Cong Minh Dak Nong Company (aka Viet Nam Xanh Company), Nghia Ha Construction Company Limited, Mina Green Tree Company Limited also joined forces with Water Supply and Environmental Services Company Limited (headquartered in Tien Hung Commune, Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province) to win many projects to maintain and care for trees in Dak Nong Province with a total value of more than 100 billion VND.

The degraded project implemented by Cong Minh Company has been repaired . The authorities of Krong No district (Dak Nong) have directed the repair of the degraded situation at Dak Mam flower garden implemented by Cong Minh Greenery Company Limited (Cong Minh Company).

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khoi-to-vu-an-cay-xanh-cong-minh-vo-dich-trung-thau-50-cong-ty-vuon-voi-san-du-an-2299804.html