According to the investigation, these three people on March 27 were prosecuted as accomplices helping Le Nguyen Hung (former deputy director of Eximbank’s Ho Chi Minh City branch) to appropriate Chu Thi Binh’s VND245 billion ($10.8 million).

Former director of Eximbank, Le Nguyen Hung, has escaped from Ho Chi Minh City

The three defendants are Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, Tran Nguyen Xuan Lan, and Cao Lan Phuong. All three of them are currently out on bail.

Previously, on March 26, the Ministry of Public Security’s Police Investigation Agency decided to execute the research warrant and order the confinement Nguyen Thi Thi and Ho Thi Thuy, who were working as bank clerks at the branch. The agency will investigate their complicity in the crime of “deliberately acting against the state's regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences.”

So far, six people are prosecuted over the loss of $10.8 million, including Ho Thi Thuy, Nguyen Thi Thi, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, Tran Nguyen Xuan Lan, Cao Lan Phuong, and Hung who has escaped the locality and is currently wanted.

On February 24, the Police Investigation Agency issued an arrest warrant for Le Nguyen Hung, deputy director of Eximbank’s Ho Chi Minh City branch for “obtaining property by fraud” by falsifying documents to withdraw customers’ money and appropriate nearly VND245 billion ($10.8 million).

Specifically, since 2007, VIP customer Chu Thi Binh has been depositing large amounts of money at Eximbank. On behalf of the bank, Hung and the bank staff many times visited her home to hand over the interest on her deposits at the bank.

Taking advantage of Binh’s trust, Hung falsified her letter of authority to withdraw money from her savings account.

Capitalisation of Eximbank drops $35 million after arrests

The stock of Eximbank sharply reduced to the lowest price of VND14,100 after two bank officers were arrested due to involvement in appropriating VND245 billion ($10.8 million) from a client named Chu Thi Binh.

At the end of the afternoon session on March 26, EIB declined to VND14,100, the lowest price sincethe announcement of losing VND245 billion ($10.8 million) from the savings books of client Chu Thi Binh.

With more than 1.23 billion shares listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX), the capitalisation of Eximbank was reduced by an estimated VND800 billion ($35.2 million) to VND17.42 trillion ($767.4 million).

Also yesterday afternoon, the investigation agency under the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) has arrived at Eximbank’s branch on Dong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City to arrest two female officers named Ho Thi Thuy and Nguyen Thi Thi. After two hours of working at this branch, they have taken many relevant documents for investigation.

Thuy and Thi are suspected of being involved in the case of Le Nguyen Hung (former deputy director of the branch) who is charged of appropriating property through swindling. However, MoPS has yet to announce an official statement on this case.

Earlier, at the end of February, MoPS issued an international arrest warrant on Le Nguyen Hung on the charge of falsifying dossiers, withdrawing, and appropriating hundreds of billions of dong at Eximbank's branch in Ho Chi Minh City. It was issued after investigating the case of Chu Thi Binh who lost VND245 billion ($10.8 million) of her deposits in Eximbank, while she still held the savings books.

According to the initial investigation, in 2007, Binh deposited her substantial savings at Eximbank and became a VIP customer. Le Nguyen Hung, who was deputy director at that time, directly dealt with her. He and some staff usually visited Binh's home to pay her due interest.

However, Hung allegedly forged fake dossiers to withdraw money from Binh's saving accounts. He had taken away a large amount of money during a longer time period and left the country. When Binh checked the balance of her savings accounts at the end of 2017, she found she had lost more than VND245 billion ($10.8 million).

When this case was announced publicly, the stock of Eximbank declined sharply for two consecutive sessions, reducing the capitalisation of the bank by VND1.05 trillion ($46.26 million) at the end of February.

VIR