Wealthy Driver: The Story of a Privileged Chauffeur’s Perks and Adventures. A lucky chauffeur, skilled in the art of discretion and trusted with immense responsibility, finds himself with a unique perk—a generous tip of 500,000 VND for each trip to SCB, where he securely transports pre-packed cash for his esteemed employer, Ms. Truong My Lan.

On September 25, the trial related to the Van Thinh Phat case continued with the questioning of the defendants regarding money laundering.

According to the defendant, Bui Van Dung, he worked as a driver for Truong My Lan. Every morning, he would drive her to the company, and throughout the day, he would take her wherever she needed to go. In the evenings, after finishing work, he would return home.

Dung also shared that, upon Lan’s instructions, he would go to SCB Bank to collect money. Specifically, whenever there was a need to transport cash, Tran Thi Hoang Uyen, Lan’s secretary, would notify him to meet the bank teller at SCB to receive the money.

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When I arrived at the bank to collect the money, I received it in the basement. The money was already packed in boxes, and my task was to load them into the car and transport them back. The logbook recorded who I handed the money to. If there were no specific instructions, I would take the money back to the office at 127 Pasteur and give it to Lan’s secretary,”

Dung stated, adding that he received a bonus of VND 500,000 each time he transported money.

According to the indictment, from late 2018 to August 2022, Truong My Lan instructed Dung to go to SCB Bank, Saigon Branch, at 927 Tran Hung Dao, Ward 1, District 5, to meet with Thai Thi Thanh Thao, Customer Service Manager, and Tran Thi Thuy Ai, Fund Controller and Teller, to collect money.

After receiving the money, Dung would hand it over to Tran Thi Hoang Uyen, Lan’s secretary at 127 Pasteur, District 1, or Tran Xuan Phuong, secretary of Ngo Thanh Nha at Van Thinh Phat Group (193-203 Tran Hung Dao, District 1), and several other individuals as directed by Lan.

Dung kept a record of the money he received and to whom he delivered it in his personal notebook. From February 26, 2019, to September 12, 2022, he received and transported more than VND 108,000 billion and over 14.7 million USD.

Dung’s actions helped Lan conceal and legitimize the use of more than VND 6,330 billion obtained through embezzlement and fraud.

The indictment further states that Van Thinh Phat Group was established by Truong My Lan, who has held 60% of the shares and served as the Chairman of the Board since 1992. Additionally, Lan controls a significant portion of the shares in SCB Bank and TVSI Securities through her relatives and other individuals and entities.

Regarding the fraud charges, from 2018 to 2020, Lan directed the following individuals: Dinh Van Thanh, Chairman of the Board; Vo Tan Hoang Van, General Director; Nguyen Phuong Hong, Deputy General Director of SCB Bank; Nguyen Tien Thanh, Chairman and General Director of TVSI Securities; and Ho Buu Phuong, Deputy General Director of Van Thinh Phat Group, to use four companies, An Dong, Sunny World, Quang Thuan, and Setra, to issue 25 fake bond codes with 308 million bonds.

Lan raised funds from 35,824 investors, collecting VND 30,081 billion, which she used for various purposes other than the stated objective of the bond issuance, leading to a default on bond payments.

On the money laundering charges, from January 1, 2018, to October 7, 2022, Lan and her accomplices embezzled VND 445,748 billion through embezzlement from SCB Bank and the aforementioned bond issuance.

During this process, Lan instructed her accomplices to withdraw and transfer money out of SCB Bank to conceal its origin and legitimize its use.

The funds were mainly used to repay loans of Van Thinh Phat Group companies at SCB Bank, settle debts between companies and individuals within the group, and make payments for fake contracts abroad.

From October 27, 2012, to October 7, 2022, Lan and her accomplices also established fake contracts for the purchase and sale of shares and capital contributions, as well as consulting contracts between companies in Vietnam and overseas.

Through these contracts, they transferred a total of USD 4.5 billion (equivalent to over VND 106,730 billion) abroad and received over USD 3 million (equivalent to VND 71,368 billion) back into Vietnam.

The indictment accuses Lan of being the mastermind behind the operations of Van Thinh Phat Group and its affiliated entities. She proposed using the group’s companies to issue bonds and collaborated with key personnel from the group, SCB Bank, and TVSI Securities to select and utilize the four aforementioned companies to issue 25 fake bond codes, defrauding 35,824 victims of VND 30,081 billion.