Truong Quang Hoai Nam, deputy chairman of Can Tho city People’s Committee, yesterday afternoon answered press queries about the decision to return 20 diamonds and 19,910 artificial stones to Thao Luc Jewelry Shop in one hundred dollar exchange case.

Thao Luc Jewelry Shop on the left of the picture

According to Mr.  Nam, while searching the jewelry shop, authorized agencies spotted diamond sale tracking book of Thao Luc Company. From June 1, 2013 to January 30, 2018, Thao Luc sold diamonds worth VND3.3 billion to 30 customers.

In the initial testimony with authorized agencies, Mr. Luc who is owner of the shop, admitted that the shop has the tracking book. Still afterward he changed the statement saying that he sold diamonds to only 11 customers with the total money of VND700 million.

From the statement, Can Tho city took part in investigation and had good reason to affirm that Thao Luc Company did trade diamonds.

Twenty temporarily seized diamonds were found kept in the ground floor of the shop, where is the company's headquarters without private room of Mr. Luc and his wife.

Explaining the origin of the seized diamonds, Mr. Luc in his initial statement said that the company did outwork and showed five outsourcing orders.

However when the city Police talked to those who signed in the orders, they all denied outsourcing relations with Thao Luc Company. In other meetings with authorized agencies afterwards, Mr. Luc said that the diamonds were purchased without invoices or origin certificates.

In addition, authorized agencies seized 19,910 artificial stones put in the same cupboard where the diamonds were kept. Mr. Luc said that he bought the stones from Hoa Binh market, HCMC without invoices and origin certificates.

From the above working process, Can Tho Police consulted the city People’s Committee on making a decision to penalize the shop for trading unclear origin goods.

After the committee issued the penalty decision, Mr. Luc sent an application to authorized agencies. In the application, he said that the diamonds and artificial stones are assets which he accumulated for many years. They are not for trading so he does not care about invoices.

After verification, authorized agencies found that the business address of Thao Luc Company is also the accommodations of Mr. Luc’s family. So he can storage his private property in the shop.

Finding that a new circumstance able to change to the decision’s content, Can Tho People’s Committee decided to cancel part of the issued penalty decision as per Article 1, Decree 97 and return 20 diamonds ad 19,910 artificial stones to Thao Luc Company.

SGGP