According to the investigation conclusion, Bach Khoa Viet Construction Investment Consulting Trading Joint Stock Company (Bach Khoa Viet Company) has a charter capital of 468 billion VND, including many shareholders, of which Ms. Tran Thi Loan Phuong was the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors from September 2010 to October 2019.

At the end of 2012, Ms. Phuong met Mr. Nguyen Loc An, who was then Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), in charge of the petroleum and gas sector. Mr. An told Ms. Phuong that if she wanted to do petroleum business, he would help her.

In early 2013, Ms. Phuong called Mr. An to ask for help from Bach Khoa Viet Company to run a gas station. At that time, Mr. An instructed Ms. Phuong to establish a legal entity to trade in liquefied petroleum gas and rent an existing gas station to run a small business first.

Following Mr. An’s instructions, Ms. Phuong rented a gas station in Binh Thanh District (HCMC) and became an agent for Thai Son Company. In early 2015, Bach Khoa Viet Company applied to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for a license to distribute gasoline. At that time, Mr. Nguyen Loc An was assigned to be the Head of the Inspection Team to inspect the actual conditions of Bach Khoa Viet Company.

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Mr. Nguyen Loc An. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

During the actual inspection process before granting the certificate of eligibility to act as a petroleum distributor to Bach Khoa Viet Company, Ms. Phuong went to meet Mr. An at the Ministry of Industry and Trade Guest House to ask for support to help Bach Khoa Viet Company get the license soon.

After accepting, Mr. An was given 200 million VND by Ms. Phuong and in February 2015, Bach Khoa Viet Company was granted a Certificate of eligibility to be a petroleum distributor by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Around August 2015, Ms. Phuong went to Mr. An's house again to ask for help with the company's business. During the conversation, the former Deputy Director said that he was planning to buy a bigger house, but did not have enough money and suggested that Ms. Phuong help him buy the house. At that moment, Ms. Phuong nodded in agreement because she knew that with Mr. An's help, Bach Khoa Viet Company could be upgraded to become a key trader in the export and import of petroleum.

In early September 2015, Mr. Nguyen Loc An called Ms. Phuong to ask for 9 billion VND to buy a house, and told Ms. Phuong to transfer the money to his wife's account. Mr. An's wife's account then received the full 9 billion VND in September 2015.

However, Bach Khoa Viet Company was not granted a license to export and import gasoline because it did not meet the conditions. At that time, Mr. An advised and guided Ms. Phuong to find a way to legalize the licensing conditions.

In May 2016, Mr. Nguyen Loc An was the Head of the Inspection Team for the conditions for granting the License for petroleum import and export business of Bach Khoa Viet Company. The Inspection Team did not fully inspect the actual capacity but created conditions during the inspection process, arranged the inspection schedule, signed the inspection minutes and reports.

Then Mr. An asked Mr. Do Thang Hai (then Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade) to sign the Business License for exporting and importing oil for Bach Khoa Viet Company against regulations.

In September 2023, Ms. Phuong proactively filed a complaint against Mr. Nguyen Loc An for accepting bribes from her and actively cooperated with the investigation agency to clarify the nature of the case.

At the investigation agency, Mr. Nguyen Loc An admitted to receiving 9.2 billion VND from Ms. Tran Thi Loan Phuong to create conditions for Bach Khoa Viet Company to be granted a certificate of eligibility to be a petroleum distributor and a license to export and import petroleum by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

According to Mr. An’s statement, he and his wife used the entire 9 billion VND they received from Ms. Phuong to buy a villa in Phu Thuong Ward (Tay Ho District, Hanoi). Currently, the villa has been seized to ensure execution of the judgment.