I worked as part-time okada rider to build $135,000 villa —Anti-graft boss

An embattled anti-corruption official on Monday said that he built a large luxury villa by working part time as a motorbike and taxi driver.

The anti-graft warrior had built the luxury villa on a land that had been earmarked for agricultural purposes.

He reportedly defied orders to voluntarily demolish the two-storey building in March, which is complete with 200 square metres of floor space, a 152-square-metre pool and a 91-square-metre dining area.

The total cost of construction, it was revealed, was $134,000.

Vietnamese anti-corruption warrior, Nguyen Ky, who also doubles as the Deputy Head of the Commission for Internal Affairs in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, was ordered last weekend to demolish his villa because the land had been zoned for agricultural purposes.

Ky’s official salary has not been revealed; however, public servants in Vietnam typically make less than $500 a month.

Defending his villa, Ky said, “In order to have enough money to construct this villa, I worked part-time as a motorbike taxi driver at night, while I was an official at the provincial inspectorate,” he said.

Vietnamese motorbike taxi drivers, who work in the informal economy, typically earn less than $20 a day.

While Ky has not been charged with a crime, corruption in Vietnam, especially among public servants, is a well-known problem.

Corruption cost Vietnam $2.6bn between 2006 and 2016, the country’s VN Express news site reported, citing the Vietnam Anti-Corruption Bureau. (dpa/NAN)