Xuyen Viet Oil case: party committee secretary, deputy minister end up in jail

Xuyen Viet Oil was granted a license to import and export petroleum products for the first time in August 2016 and once again got a license in November 2021.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), after an inspection tour in 2022, imposed an administrative fine on the company and suspended its import-export activities for 1.5 months for not maintaining a sufficient number of petroleum retail agents as required by law.

In 2023, MOIT again examined the observance of regulations on petroleum trade at Xuyen Viet Oil. At the inspection, MOIT found that Xuyen Viet Oil had 10 filling stations, but three of them had expired certificates on meeting conditions for retail petrol products, while 20 petrol retail agent contracts signed with retailers were still valid.

Prior to that, the investigation agency under the Ministry of Public Security filed charges against Mai Thi Hong Hanh, director of Xuyen Viet Oil, and Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong, deputy director, and detained them for allegedly violating regulations on managing and using state’s assets, causing losses and waste.

The investigation agency later filed charges against Le Duc Tho, former Ben Tre provincial Party Committee secretary, and detained him for abusing position and power to influence others for personal gain according to Article 358 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Le Duy Minh, director of the HCM City Finance Department, former director of the HCM City Taxation Agency, was arrested for taking bribes. MOIT Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai, 60, was also arrested for the same reason.

The investigation agency also detained and filed charges against Hoang Anh Tuan, deputy director of the Domestic Market Department under MOIT, and Dang Cong Khoi, deputy director of the Price Control Department under the Ministry of Finance on charges of ‘being irresponsible, causing serious consequences’.

Van Thinh Phat – SCB: officials take millions of dollars in bribes

The Supreme People's Procuracy has recently issued an indictment prosecuting Truong My Lan and 85 other defendants in the case that occurred at Van Thinh Phat Group, SCB Bank and related units and organizations.

The 86 individuals have been prosecuted for "property embezzlement"; "violation of regulations on banking operations and other related activities”; "giving bribes"; "taking bribes"; "abusing positions and power while performing official duties"; “lacking responsibility, thus causing serious consequences” and “abusing trust and appropriating others’ properties”.

The investigation agency pointed out that in order to hide SCB's financial problems and avoid the possibility of being put under special control by state agencies so that it can continue the restructuring, Truong My Lan bought off and influenced state officials. The illicit benefits the officials have received were intended to be hidden so that SCB would not be placed under special control and continue to be restructured.

Truong My Lan bribed and influenced people with positions and powers in state agencies. The illegal benefits that officials gained from covering up violations amounted to millions of dollars.

The state official who received the biggest amount of money from SCB was Do Thi Nhan, former chief of the Inspectorate and Supervision Department II under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

Nhan received from SCB Bank a large amount of $5.2 million to direct her subordinates to make dishonest reports about the actual financial situation of the bank to suppress the truth about SCB’s violations of the laws.

Trillion-dong Dai Ninh urban area project

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) decided to prosecute the defendant, execute an arrest warrant and search the residence of Tran Van Hiep, Chair of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, to investigate his behavior of taking bribes.

MPS found that Hiep took bribes related to the Dai Ninh urban area, tourism and ecological resort project in Duc Trong district of Lam Dong province.

The investor of the project is Sai Gon Dai Ninh JSC, whose president and legal representative is Phan Thi Hoa.

Established in 2010, Saigon Dai Ninh has charter capital of VND300 billion. In 2017, the company raised the charter capital to VND2 trillion. Since its establishment, the enterprise has developed only one project – Dai Ninh urban area.

In 2020, Sai Gon Dai Ninh signed a contract on transfering capital to Ben Thanh Holdings Group belonging to Capella Group owned by Nguyen Cao Tri.

Involved in the case of Van Thinh Phat, Nguyen Cao Tri has also been prosecuted for "abusing trust and appropriating others’ properties".

T. Nhung