Government Inspectorate Pushes for Recovery of 15 Billion VND in Land Auction Deposits in Gia Lai

The Government Inspectorate is pressing Gia Lai province to recover more than 15.1 billion VND (approximately $600,000 USD) in land auction deposits, following a previous proposal by the provincial authorities to waive the recovery.

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The Government Inspectorate continues to demand the recovery of over 15.1 billion VND in deposits related to 205 land plots that were won at auction but paid for late in Gia Lai.

The issue stems from land auctions held in Chu Se district in 2019. After winning bids for 205 plots, several individuals failed to make timely payments. Records show one bidder, identified as Ms. H.T.H., won 107 lots, with 61 of them delayed by 140 days or more. Another bidder, Mr. N.X.A., was over 300 days late on payments for 44 lots, and Mr. L.V.Đ. delayed payments for 54 lots by over 100 days.

Despite these significant delays, the district's Land Development Fund Council and the People's Committee of Chu Se district did not cancel the auction results or recover the deposits. Instead, they granted extensions for payment. The Government Inspectorate, in its Conclusion No. 263/KL-TTCP dated July 19, 2024, determined that these extensions were unlawful and mandated the recovery of the 15.1 billion VND in deposits.

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The conclusion of the inspection identified that the extension of this period was contrary to regulations and required the relevant agencies to recover more than 15.1 billion VND in deposits.

However, Gia Lai province's provincial Inspectorate had advised the provincial People's Committee to report to the Government Inspectorate that recovering the funds was either impossible or impractical. Consequently, the provincial authorities proposed not to recover the deposits from the three individuals. The Government Inspectorate has now reiterated its demand, emphasizing that Article 16 of the land auction plan clearly states that bidders who delay payment must forfeit their deposits. The Inspectorate clarified that the 15.1 billion VND is an estimated amount corresponding to the deposit rates and was identified during the inspection, making the demand for its recovery and deposit into a temporary account justified.

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The conclusion of the inspection did not propose to cancel the land auction results because many plots had already been transferred to other households and individuals at the time of the inspection.