Eight contractors involved in the Long Thanh Airport project have come under scrutiny for misusing 936 billion VND in advance payments. The Government Inspectorate has concluded that this action, which involved depositing the funds into savings accounts for interest, violates both the contractual agreements and legal regulations.

On July 28, the Government Inspectorate released a report detailing various violations and shortcomings in the bidding packages of the project, which is part of the first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport construction. The report specifically highlighted issues in bidding packages XD01 and XD02, as well as packages 5.6 and 5.10.

The Vietur consortium, which won the bid for package 5.10 with a total value exceeding 27.8 trillion VND and approximately 339 million USD, comprises ten companies, with IC Istas from Turkey leading the group. Other members include Ricons, Newtecons, Sol E&C, and several others.

According to the inspectorate's findings, there were numerous errors in the bidding documents for package 5.10, necessitating multiple revisions. Technical specifications for escalators and stair systems were outdated, and the experience requirements for contractors were deemed inappropriate. Additionally, the Vietur consortium's bid used foreign currency, which was against regulations.

The inspectorate raised concerns that these violations could lead to significant financial losses for the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), especially as the USD exchange rate has increased since the initial payments were made. The report indicated that eight out of ten contractors in the Vietur consortium had improperly utilized the advance payments for savings, generating interest of 10.6 billion VND, which is not permissible under the contract terms.

Furthermore, the inspectorate identified other violations, such as unauthorized subcontracting and changes in materials that did not comply with the original bidding documents. The Government Inspectorate has referred these matters to the Ministry of Public Security for further investigation into the breaches of bidding laws.

The Long Thanh Airport project, which is crucial for Vietnam's transportation infrastructure, has a total investment of over 100 trillion VND and is expected to be completed by 2025. It will feature two runways and a passenger terminal capable of handling 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo annually.

In a broader context, the Ministry of Public Security has already initiated investigations into 31 individuals related to this case, including high-ranking officials from ACV and Vinaconex, for serious violations of bidding regulations and other related crimes.