Prosecuting the accused, Le Duc Tho, for two charges
The Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency has recently concluded the case of “Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets, bribery, and abuse of power for personal gain” involving Vietnam Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Limited Company and several other agencies.
The accused include Mai Thi Hong Hanh, Director and Chairman of Vietnam Oil; Le Duc Tho, former Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Ben Tre Province; Do Thang Hai, former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, and others.
According to the conclusion, during her management of Vietnam Oil’s gasoline business, Hanh violated regulations related to the management and use of the Gasoline Price Stabilization Fund and the collection and remittance of environmental protection taxes, causing a total loss of VND 1,463 billion.
Firstly, Hanh instructed her employees to transfer money from the Price Stabilization Fund to her personal account instead of following the prescribed fund allocation process. This money was then used by the accused to purchase real estate, lend to friends, spend on personal expenses, and bribe individuals at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department.
To evade inspection and supervision, Mai Thi Hong Hanh directed her accounting staff to fabricate 81 reports on the situation of fund allocation and utilization, while the actual balance in the account did not match the reported data. This misconduct resulted in a loss of more than VND 219 billion.
Hanh’s second violation pertained to the collection and management of environmental protection taxes by Vietnam Oil. Specifically, she intentionally used the collected taxes for personal purposes, resulting in a loss of over VND 1,244 billion.
In this case, the Security Investigation Agency has proposed the prosecution of 15 accused individuals. Notably, the agency has recommended prosecuting Le Duc Tho (former Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee) for “Abuse of power for personal gain” and “Receiving bribes.”
 Former Secretary of Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, Le Duc Tho – Photo: Ministry of Public Security
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Six other accused individuals were recommended for prosecution on charges of “Receiving bribes,” including:
– Do Thang Hai (former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade)
– Tran Duy Dong (former Head of the Domestic Market Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade)
– Hoang Anh Tuan and Nguyen Loc An (former Deputy Heads of the Domestic Market Department)
– Le Duy Minh (former Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance and former Director of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department)
– Dang Cong Khoi (former Deputy Director of the Price Management Department, Ministry of Finance)
– Phan Kien Anh (former Director of Nghi Son Refinery Product Distribution Branch)
Prosecution of the Director, Chairman, and Deputy Director of Vietnam Oil
The Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security has proposed the prosecution of Mai Thi Hong Hanh (Director and Chairman of the Members’ Council of Vietnam Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Limited Company) for “Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste” and “Offering bribes.”
Additionally, Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong (Deputy Director of Vietnam Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Limited Company) has been recommended for prosecution for “Violation of regulations on the management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste.”
Furthermore, in this case, five individuals have been recommended for prosecution on charges of “Offering bribes,” including:
– Nguyen Van Thang (former Deputy Director of Vietnam Oil’s Hanoi Branch)
– Vu Trung Thanh (former Director of Thanh Xuan Branch of a bank)
– Dinh Tien Dung (Chief Accountant of Vietnam Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Limited Company)
– Nguyen Tan Long (Head of Business Department of Vietnam Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Limited Company)
– Dong Xuan Dung (freelancer)
Details of the bribery involving Mr. Le Duc Tho and Mr. Do Thang Hai
According to the investigation conclusion, in 2018, Mr. Le Duc Tho was the General Director and Chairman of the Board of a bank, with the authority to approve credit limits and consider and approve loan applications from enterprises.
At the end of 2021, Mr. Le Duc Tho became the Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee.
From 2019 to 2021, Mr. Le Duc Tho abused his position and authority to receive bribes and exert influence for personal gain.
Specifically, regarding Vietnam Oil’s loan applications and requests for credit limit extensions from 2019 to January 2020, Mr. Tho received bribes twice, totaling 600,000 USD (equivalent to VND 13.8 billion) from Mai Thi Hong Hanh.
Le Duc Tho is also accused of abusing his position as Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee and former Chairman of the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade of Vietnam (VietinBank, HOSE: CTG) to influence the Director of the bank’s Ben Tre Branch to facilitate Vietnam Oil’s loan applications. The company received a credit limit of VND 400 billion, preferential interest rates, and a loan collateral ratio of 40%.
Regarding Do Thang Hai, the former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, the investigation concluded that since 2014, Mr. Hai had the authority to grant licenses for gasoline trading to key traders.
Mr. Hai also directly supervised and directed the Domestic Market Department, which was responsible for receiving, evaluating, and proposing the issuance of licenses for gasoline trading.
In mid-June 2021, to request the re-issuance of a license for gasoline trading for Vietnam Oil, Mai Thi Hong Hanh contacted Mr. Do Thang Hai for assistance and facilitation.
Mr. Hai instructed Hoang Anh Tuan to consider and facilitate the early issuance of the license to the company.
On November 19, 2021, based on Mr. Tuan’s proposal, Mr. Do Thang Hai received 50,000 USD (equivalent to VND 1.139 billion) from Hanh in his office.
During the investigation, Mr. Hai returned VND 730 million.
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