Vietnam Electricity subsidiary director arrested for abuse of power

Nguyen Danh Son, director of Electricity Trading Company, has been arrested for allegedly abusing his positions and power in a scam that occurred at parent company Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, said on Thursday that Son, 57, was prosecuted and detained by the ministry's investigative agency for further investigation into his alleged abuse of positions and power while on duty.

The arrest of Son is part of an investigation launched in early November into a scam that occurred at state utility EVN, the trade ministry and some provinces and cities.

Previously, five officials of EVN and the trade ministry were arrested on Saturday for their alleged "abuse of positions and power while on duty".

They include Tran Quoc Hung, vice head of the public relations and licensing department at the trade ministry's Electricity Regulatory Authority, and Nguyen Huu Khai, head of the electricity purchasing department at Electricity Trading Company under EVN, the investigative agency reported.

The other three are Trinh Van Doan, an official at the public relations and licensing department; Do Ngoc Tuyen, an official at the electricity purchasing department; and Truong Hoang Dung, an official at the information technology and techincal department under Electricity Trading Company.

Authorities are yet to disclose details about the violations of Son and the other five officials.