Businessman in hot water for ‘slandering’ Sacombank leader

Sacombank has petitioned Vietnamese authorities to charge a businessman who posted a “slanderous” message about the bank’s leader on Facebook.

Dang Tat Thang, chairman of ATB Investment & Partners Private Investment Fund, told local media on Thursday that he knew he was wrong to post the negative statement about Sacombank chairman Duong Cong Minh.

Thang, who used to be CEO of Bamboo Airways, wrote in the post that Minh was "incompetent" and "immoral".

"The chairman knows nothing about the banking profession other than stealing." "He has made shady business dealings." "When a bank's chairman is like that, shareholders lose confidence."

He also posted: "If I had money deposited at Sacombank, I’d withdraw straight away."

Following the post, Thang wrote an apology and deactivated his Facebook account.

In his apology, he wrote: “I was too emotional at the time so I posted the message on my personal Facebook page. These statements may have affected Sacombank, and the reputations of its leaders, shareholders, and customers. I would like to publicly apologize to them.”

However, the Ho Chi Minh City-based bank said that Thang’s words had been a serious insult to the reputation of its leader. Sacombank has requested authorities to investigate the act of "posting false information on social networks, damaging the reputation of the bank, and the image of individuals and the organization".

According to lawyer Nguyen Duc Binh from the Hanoi Bar Association, Vietnamese law protects residents from slander, and those who make false accusations face either a civil fine or criminal charges. However, Thang is unlikely to face criminal charges because it is hard to ascertain the damage he caused.