Call for self-reporting
Vietnam’s state-controlled media reported on December 28 that the Ministry of Public Security is investigating the case of “Counterfeiting” occurring at Dong Do University and asking users of the fake diplomas should report themselves.
According to the investigation results of the Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security, Dong Do University has issued a fake bachelor’s degree to 193 people who have not passed the enrollment or training. In which, there are 55 cases using this fake diploma to apply for the admission of graduate education or defend their doctoral thesis. The verified cases of using fake diplomas of Dong Do University are senior officials of state agencies; most of them are working as masters and doctoral students. Some are key officers of a number of state agencies in Hanoi, another is a lecturer of a judicial university training institution.
The Security Investigation Agency urged users of Dong Do University to report before January 15, 2021.
In connection with the case “Forging in work” that occurred at Dong Do University, the Security Investigation Agency, in November proposed to probe criminal accusation of 10 former leaders and staff of this university. By mid-December, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with authorities to urgently arrest Mr. Tran Khac Hung, former chairman of the Dong Do University’s Board of Directors, at the same time, expand the investigation of the case and report the results to the PM in the first quarter of 2021.
RFA radio recorded immediately after the information about the case of “Counterfeiting” happening at Dong Do University was announced on the mass media, domestic public opinion requested to publicize the identities of 55 people using fake degrees of Dong Do University, identified as “reputable people, key positions in agencies, departments.”
Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Dung, on the evening of December 1, spoke to RFA on this issue.
“One of the things that make people concern whether the identity of the users of the fake diploma will be publicized.
I see no reason for not making these people public. But if they do not publicize, people are forced to question who is behind these 55 people. And these 55 people must not be ‘ordinary people’ because if so their names would be publicized long ago. These people must have some position, so it is not convenient for them to be named. If so, then the state is on the side of its officials.”
Mixed opinions about the Ministry of Public Security calling for “self-reporting”
At the call of the Ministry of Public Security that users of Dong Do University report themselves, teacher Do Viet Khoa, an anti-corruption teacher on the evening of December 30, told RFA about his point:
“About this case, I have followed up and thought it is a kind of infinitely not transparent about the Ministry of Public Security. With their capacity, the police would have the list of the users of the fake diploma of Dong Do University for many years. If they are determined to do it, there is no need for self-confession.”
The state-controlled media in December also published information about the public’s questions about why the identities of 55 “reputable figures using fake diplomas” were not public and which agencies had the authority to make that identity public. Typically, journalist Nguyen Nhu Phong in early December posted on his personal Facebook account asking “55 people who bought fake diplomas from Dong Do University” to resign, otherwise, he would publish their identities.
Online newspaper People’s Public Security, on December 19, quoted Major General Le Van Cuong, former director of the Institute for Strategic Studies under the Ministry of Public Security, saying that the identity of the people who bought degrees at Dong Do University should be public in a certain level.
“Publicizing the identity of these people should only be done in their agencies, not widely publicized in the press. This, on the one hand, ensures both rigor but at the same time does not push people to the end. This can be called semi-public, proper, and moderate.”
Lawyer Dang Dung, on the evening of December 30, told RFA his opinion:
“The Dong Do University case made fake diplomas and the Ministry of Public Security propagated, saying that people who use fake degrees from Dong Do University should confess themselves. That job of the police can be said to be acceptable. This is not a wrong way of the law. Because they say that so that those who do wrong things to confess, they will punish them with criminal accusation or just administrative sanctions. One more thing, one wonders why the list of those fake diploma users not to be publicized. This is also the investigative secret of the investigating agency, so they did not name it. Because firstly, it is in the process of investigation and under the law, those who have not been convicted or sanctioned are still ‘suspects.’ And moreover, they said that the people who use fake certificates are ‘reputable.’ Now if their names are publicized, their agencies would be affected.”
Lawyer Dang Dung added when referring to Major General Le Van Cuong’s opinion:
“I think Major General Cuong is just adding, but now that the incumbents in the police are handling it, we also respect to see how they handled the case in the end. I think they act cautiously to deal with what might be the biggest case ever.”
Through discussions with RFA, lawyer Dang Dung and teacher Do Viet Khoa both expressed agreement with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s request to handle to a place that the case of “Fraud in work” occurred at Dong Do University. Teacher Do Viet Khoa emphasized:
“Dong Do University’s mistakes not only happened in the past few years but according to me, it happened from the time when this university was first established. Dong Do University has committed serious wrongdoings. Their mistakes are repeated over and over again over the years and are not punished properly so they do it again and again. I think that if the law is strict, Dong Do University will have to be closed after this incident.”
Journalist Nguyen Nhu Phong shared on his Facebook page that he should have announced the identities of 55 people who bought Dong Do University on December 30. However, he received information that 55 people have their diplomas confiscated and during the investigation, their names should not be disclosed.
Journalist Nguyen Nhu Phong affirmed that he believes this case will be resolved to a great extent through what the Government, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Security Investigation Agency are doing.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
