Vietnam’s law enforcement agencies are working with international organizations to track down Trinh Xuan Thanh who is charged with wrongdoing in business management.

Le Hai Binh, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a media briefing in Hanoi yesterday that law enforcement agencies are cooperating with their peers in foreign countries to deal with matters related to Thanh.

Thanh, who is former vice chairman of Hau Giang Province, is facing charges of breaching the State’s regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences.

Earlier, the Ministry of Public Security issued an international arrest warrant for Thanh over his former role as chairman of PetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVC) amid a high-profile probe into losses of VND3.3 trillion (US$148 million) at the company.

Reporters at the press conference asked how Vietnam would solve the PVC case if a foreign nation which has yet to sign an extradition treaty with Vietnam detains Thanh. Binh said this question should be sent to competent agencies for an answer.

Major General Tran The Quan, head of the department of legislation and juridical and administrative reforms under the Ministry of Public Security, told the local news site Dan Tri that if Vietnam does not sign a mutual legal assistance agreement with a foreign country, the two sides could negotiate on the basis of reciprocity and in line with international practices.

The international arrest warrant comes after the police filed charges against him and four other people including former PVC general director Vu Duc Thuan, former deputy general director Truong Quoc Dung, former chief accountant Pham Tien Dat and deputy general director Nguyen Manh Tien.

In 2007-2013, Thanh served as deputy secretary of the Party committee and director general at PVC, and later became secretary of the corporation’s Party committee and board chairman.

Thanh was appointed PVC deputy general director in 2007 by Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and became chairman of the enterprise in 2009.

According to a document presented at PVC’s 2014 general meeting, the firm racked up losses of nearly VND2.23 trillion in 2013, with the parent company accounting for roughly VND1.93 trillion. By the end of the same year, PVC’s losses rose to around VND3.3 trillion.

SGT