On January 5, the Investigation Police Agency, Binh Thanh District Police, Ho Chi Minh City prosecuted and detained: Ha Quoc Huy (born in 1978, from Dong Thap), Mai Thi My Lynh (born in 1975, residing in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), Dang Thi Hoa (born in 1971, from Khanh Hoa), To Ba Nguyen (born in 1995, from Nghe An) to investigate the crime of Usury in civil transactions.
In addition, Ha Quoc Huy was also prosecuted for the crime of Extortion.
According to the investigation, Hoa has been operating loan sharking since 2018, in the area of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital. After that, borrowers introduced each other to Hoa to borrow money. Hoa directly checked the borrowers' backgrounds and collected both interest and principal. Due to the increasingly expanding lending activities, from 2021, Hoa hired To Ba Nguyen to collect interest, paying 9 million VND/month.
Dang Thi Hoa (left) and To Ba Nguyen at the police station.
Hoa's "black credit" line lends money in the form of "daily installment" and "standing loan". Accordingly, borrowers mortgage original documents such as: Citizen ID card, identity card, household registration book... and sign loan papers.
The minimum loan amount is from 500,000 VND to 60 million VND, with an interest rate of 30%/month. After receiving the loan, the borrower must pay a service fee (from 10% of the total loan amount) and pay in advance the first month's or first day's installments and interest, so the actual amount received is always less than the amount stated on the loan document.
As assigned by Hoa, Nguyen went to the borrower's residence to collect the money. In addition, the borrower could pay by transferring money to Hoa's account. If the borrower did not pay on time, Hoa and Nguyen would call to pressure them to pay.
Initially, the Investigation Police Agency, Binh Thanh District Police recorded statements from 22 people who borrowed money from Hoa, with a total amount of 259 million VND. The amount of money Hoa illegally profited was nearly 320 million VND.
According to the police, Hoa lent money at interest rates of 360 - 720% per year, 18 - 36 times higher than the highest interest rate stipulated in the 2015 Civil Code.
At the investigation agency, Dang Thi Hoa and To Ba Nguyen admitted to colluding in loan sharking and illegal profiteering.
The police also arrested the group of Ha Quoc Huy and Mai Thi My Lynh for lending money to others at interest rates of 120 - 730%/year, illegally profiting more than 412 million VND.
The authorities searched the suspects' residences and seized many objects and documents related to loan sharking activities, including: books, loan records, citizen identification cards, loan papers, mortgage papers of borrowers, 3 cars, 3 motorbikes and dozens of motorbikes of various types, and 5 homemade machetes.
Currently, the Investigation Police Agency, Binh Thanh District Police are continuing to handle the groups of subjects according to the provisions of the law.
Hoang Tho
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