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Service (to be performed): Review the legal frameworks related to money laundering, wildlife and forest crimes, and propose relevant recommendations for improvement
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Location of Service provided: On-site and selected provinces/cites
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Duration of Service’s performance: December 2025 – May 2026
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WCS’s person in charge (PIC):
Tran Thi Kim Thanh
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I. Background:
Viet Nam is one of the countries with high biodiversity; however, conservation efforts face significant pressures from economic development, forest degradation, and increasing violations against regulations related to forest resources and wildlife. In particular, the illegal trade of wildlife (IWT) not only threatens biodiversity but is also linked to other associated crimes such as money laundering, smuggling, and corruption.
Although Viet Nam has been a party of various international treaties and progressively improved its national legal framework on wildlife and forest protection as well as anti-money laundering (AML), results of WCS Viet Nam’s review and consultation with law enforcement and judicial authorities in selected provinces during 2024 - 2025 indicate that the implementation of the 2015 Penal Code (amended in 2017 and 2025) and its guiding documents still encounters numerous obstacles and limitations.
In this context, following the Prime Minister’s decision on the Plan for developing the amended Penal Code adopted in October 2025, WCS Viet Nam will collaborate with the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) to review and assess the practical application of the Penal Code’s provisions related to wildlife, forest and money laundering offenses, including:
- Article 232: Crime of violating regulations on forest exploitation, protection, and forest products;
- Article 233: Crime of violating regulations on forest management;
- Article 234: Crime of violating regulations on wildlife protection;
- Article 243: Crime of forest destruction;
- Article 244: Crime of violating regulations on the protection of endangered, rare animals;
- Article 324: Crime of money laundering
- Resolution No. 05/2018/NQ-HĐTP dated November 5, 2018: Guiding the application of Articles 234 and 244 of the Penal Code on the protection of wildlife and endangered, rare animals (hereinafter referred to as Resolution 05);
- Resolution No. 03/NQ-HĐTP dated May 24, 2019: Guiding the application of Article 324 of the Penal Code on money laundering (hereinafter referred to as Resolution 03).
The review results will contribute to the overall assessment of the implementation of the current Penal Code and inform the drafting process of the amended Penal Code.
To achieve the expected outcomes, WCS Viet Nam is seeking a technical consultant team to implement this task.
II. Objectives:
A group of consultants will cooperate with WCS Viet Nam and the SPC to carry out activities aimed at the following objectives:
- Research, review, and synthesize practical application of the Penal Code’s Articles 232, 233, 234, 243, 244, 324, Resolutions No. 03 and No. 05 in adjudicating cases related to forest, wildlife and money laundering offenses;
- Propose relevant recommendations to ensure consistency and coherence within the legal system; address obstacles and shortcomings in the application of laws, thereby establishing a solid legal foundation for the strict handling of violations.
III. Description of work:
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Activities
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Outputs/ deliverables
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Completed by
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Allotted time (# of days)
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Payment schedule
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1. Conduct a desk review of Articles 232, 233, 234, 243, 244, and 324 of the Penal Code, Resolutions No.03, No.05, and compare them with the international legal frameworks related to handling IWT and AML, which Viet Nam is a Party, as well as the current national legal system. Based on this review, assess the necessity and scope of amendments and updates required, including guidance on handling cases involving pangolin scales.
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Legal and case review and analysis report, including a draft of proposed recommendations for improvement
Draft guidance on handling cases involving pangolin scales
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01/2026
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Determined based on the service provider’s proposal and subject to approval by WCS Viet Nam
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1st Payment will be made in one installment within 15 days after the consulting deliverables are completed and approved by WCS
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2. Review court judgments and decisions issued between 2022 and 2025 related to money laundering offenses or wildlife-related crimes with indications or signs of money laundering, in order to identify and assess gaps and limitations between legal provisions and judicial practice in handling money laundering acts.
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3. Coordinate/support WCS Viet Nam and the SPC to consult with law enforcement and judicial agencies and relevant state management authorities in selected provinces (tentatively Ha Noi, Tuyen Quang, Quang Ninh, Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong) on:
- Challenges and obstacles in handling cases related to the above-mentioned offences
- Best practices
- Recommendations/proposals for legal improvement
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Trip reports, including feedback from local-level agencies
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5/2026
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2nd Payment will be made in one installment within 15 days after the consulting deliverables are completed and approved by WCS
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4. Coordinate/support WCS Viet Nam and the SPC to consult with experts and representatives of relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Supreme People’s Procuracy, Ministry of Public Security, etc., on the recommendations/proposals.
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Expert consultation results
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5. Finalize the research, review findings and share them with the competent authorities for consideration in incorporating them into proposals for improvement of criminal legislation or implementation guidelines.
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Consolidated report including final recommendations to be shared with the competent authorities, and guidance on handling cases involving pangolin scales
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Total allotted time (total working days): To be determined based on the service provider’s proposal and approved by WCS.
IV. Requirements (selection criteria):
The consultant group responsible for coordinating with WCS Viet Nam and partners to implement the activities must meet the following criteria:
01 Team leader:
- Having Bachelor/Master’s degree in law, Court, Procuracy, and other relevant fields
- At least 10 years of experience in law enforcement or legal research
- Have skills in researching, analyzing, assessing legal documents, and related data and developing analytical reports
- Having strong communication and working relationships with local enforcement agencies
- Understanding the situation of handling violations of regulations on wildlife protection in Viet Nam is an advantage.
01-02 Team members:
- Having Bachelor/Master degree on Law, Court, Procuracy, and other relevant fields
- Having 3-7 years of experience in law enforcement or legal research
- Having experience in the development of
guidance for judicial officers
- Having skills in researching, analyzing, assessing legal documents, and related data and developing analytical reports
- Understanding the situation of handling violations of regulations on wildlife protection in Viet Nam is an advantage.
V. Application procedure:
Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit applications via email to vietnamconsulting@wcs.org before 17:00 on 17 December 2025, including the following documents:
- Technical proposal outlining the methodology to achieve the deliverables/outputs specified in Section III;
- Personnel plan and CVs demonstrating relevant work experience and research outputs of the proposed team members (links or soft copies may be provided);
- Financial proposal (in VND), indicating the total number of working days, the proposed daily rate for each member, inclusive of all applicable taxes and fees (e.g., personal income tax, VAT, etc.).
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.