Trade promotion official arrested for receiving bribes

Tran Duy Dong, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Trade Promotion Agency, has been detained for allegedly accepting bribes in a case related to Xuyen Viet Oil Company.

Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, said at the government’s press meeting on Wednesday that Dong, also former director of the ministry’s Domestic Market Department, was arrested for further investigation into his allegedly receiving bribes.

On the same day, the investigative agency under the Ministry of Public Security initiated legal proceedings against and detained Dinh Tien Dung, chief accountant of Xuyen Viet Oil, and Nguyen Tien Long, head of the company’s business division, on charges of bribing.

Over the past six months, a number of officials have been detained since the investigators initiated legal proceedings against the criminal case of violating the regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste; lacking responsibility leading to serious consequences; giving bribes; and receiving bribes that occurred at Xuyen Viet Oil and several related agencies.

Among those people, former chief of Ben Tre province’s Party Committee Le Duc Tho has been investigated for abusing his positions and power to influence others for personal gains. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai and Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Finance Le Duy Minh were accused of receiving bribes.

The investigators also launched legal proceedings against and detained Vu Trung Thanh, director of Vietinbank’s Thanh Xuan branch; Nguyen Van Thang, deputy director of Xuyen Viet Oil’s Hanoi branch; and freelancer Dong Xuan Dung for bribing.

Deputy director of the Ministry of Finance’s Price Management Dang Cong Khoi and deputy director of the trade ministry’s Domestic Market Department Hoang Anh Tuan were arrested for further investigation into the crimes of lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.

Mai Thi Hong Hanh, director of Xuyen Viet Oil, and her deputy Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong were detained on charges of violating the regulations on management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste.

Xuyen Viet Oil is one of 37 key gasoline trading units in the country, including aviation gasoline trading companies. It was established in 2005 and is headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. The firm's Vietnam market share is nearly 10%.

In August 2023, the company had its license to export and import gasoline revoked by the trade ministry, due to its violations in gasoline business and misappropriation of the country's Price Stabilization Fund.

Xuyen Viet Oil continuously suffered losses and was on the list of companies oweing VND1 trillion ($39.79 million) in tax debt or more. The firm's outstanding debt has been classified as bad debt, at VND5.5 trillion with four banks.

At the time the license was revoked, the business kept more than VND200 billion ($7.96 million) of the Price Stabilization Fund. The finance ministry has repeatedly urged Xuyen Viet Oil to hand over the sum, but there has been no response.