Customers’ interests to be ensured in Maritime Bank fraud case: central bank

Customers’ interests will be guaranteed as authorities clarify the responsibilities of Maritime Bank and individuals in a case that caused huge losses at the private lender, said Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Dao Minh Tu on Wednesday.

Speaking at the government's regular press meeting on Wednesday, Tu said that Hanoi police on March 28 launched legal proceedings against and detained Bui Thi Hoai Anh, director of Maritime Bank's Thanh Xuan branch in Hanoi, for fraudulently appropriating VND338 billion ($13.53 million) from eight customers.

According to the official, many customers recently lost money and violations were committed by individuals, groups, and banks. The losses occurred within several banks and transaction offices, so this was not a case of systemic vulnerability, he affirmed.

The losses could be due to management mechanisms and methods used at transaction offices, violations by bank employees, or negligence and collusion between customers and bank employees to defraud each other or the bank, he explained.

Tu said that the SBV had issued timely instructions to the whole system, and regularly reviews regulations, especially those for opening payment accounts, money transfers, and savings deposits.

Regarding the case of Bui Thi Hoai Anh, the deputy governor said that the central bank had received Maritime Bank’s report.

"This case was not directly detected by customers. Maritime Bank itself discovered the risk and proactively sent the file to the Ministry of Public Security for investigation in October 2023.

"We are waiting for investigation results from the police. Our principle is protecting customers' legitimate rights," he stated.

The SBV also requires commercial banks to have mechanisms to control balances and check accounts and deposits, and ensure information security for customers, Tu said. He also recommended that customers should keep an eye on the transactions going through their accounts.

Previously, Major General Nguyen Thanh Tung, deputy chief of Hanoi Police, said on October 10, 2023, the investigative agency received a Maritime Bank report about possible fraudulent asset appropriation.

The bank accused Bui Thi Hoai Anh, born in 1984, of showing signs of fraudulently appropriating VND165 billion ($6.6 million) from customers, but the investigation indicated that the figure was nearly double the amount.

“The police are now working to recover the lost assets for the victims. The preliminary investigation shows there were no accomplices,” said Tung.