Minister of Public Security To Lam speaks to the press on the sidelines of the National Assembly meeting on May 26. (Photo: VNA)

The case is being examined and inspected by tax and financial inspectorate agencies in Vietnam, Lam said.

He further noted that the Vietnamese side has started by exchanging information with Japan as the allegation originated from the Japanese side.

Earlier, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung has requested an urgent investigation into the alleged bribery of Vietnamese officials by Tenma Vietnam, a subsidiary of Japan’s plastic product maker Tenma Corporation.

Dung requested the Director-General of the General Department of Taxation and the Director-General of the General Department of Vietnam Customs to report to the ministry on recent allegations in Japanese media about bribes paid by Tenma Vietnam to the tune of 232,000 USD to avoid paying corporate and value-added tax.

At the same time, he assigned the Ministry's inspection agency to immediately set up an inspection team to examine the Tax Department and the Customs Department in northern Bac Ninh province, where Tenma Vietnam is located.

The case came into the spotlight when Japanese media including Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Kyodo news agency and Nikkei, reported that Tenma Vietnam gave a bribe of 25 million JYP (232,000 USD) to Vietnamese customs officials.

According to Asahi Shimbun, the Tokyo-based Tenma Corporation confessed the case to the Tokyo District Prosecutor. Tenma Corporation reportedly took the initiative to set up a third-party committee to investigate the violation. Bribing foreign governments is a prohibited practice in Japan.

Officials implicated in Tenma Vietnam bribery case suspended

Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung has ordered the suspension of tax and customs officials implicated in the alleged bribery by Tenma Vietnam, a subsidiary of Japan’s plastic product maker Tenma Corporation, according to an official letter issued on May 26.

In the official letter sent to the general departments of taxation and customs, Dung requested the top leaders of the two departments to suspend officials involving in tax and post-customs clearance inspections of Tenma Vietnam from work for 15 days to serve inspection work.

Earlier, the minister has requested the two general departments to report to the Ministry of Finance on recent allegations in Japanese media about bribes paid by Tenma Vietnam to the tune of 232,000 USD to avoid paying corporate and value-added tax.

At the same time, he assigned the ministry's inspection agency to immediately set up an inspection team to examine the Tax Department and the Customs Department in northern Bac Ninh province, where Tenma Vietnam is located.

The case came into the spotlight when Japanese media including Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Kyodo news agency and Nikkei, reported that Tenma Vietnam gave a bribe of 25 million JYP (232,000 USD) to Vietnamese customs officials.

According to Asahi Shimbun, the Tokyo-based Tenma Corporation confessed the case to the Tokyo District Prosecutor. Tenma Corporation reportedly took the initiative to set up a third-party committee to investigate the violation. Bribing foreign governments is a prohibited practice in Japan./.

Japanese firm and officials under investigation over alleged bribery

Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung has requested an urgent investigation into an alleged bribery of Vietnamese officials by Tenma Vietnam - a subsidiary of Japan’s plastic product maker Tenma Corporation.