Former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and subordinates accused of receiving bribes of 365,000 USD

From November 20 to December 5, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court held a first-instance trial of the case of Violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste; Giving bribes; Receiving bribes; Taking advantage of positions and powers to influence others for personal gain against Mr. Le Duc Tho (former Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee) and 14 other defendants related to violations occurring at Xuyen Viet Oil Trading - Transport - Tourism Company Limited (abbreviated as Xuyen Viet Oil Company).

According to the indictment, since 2014, Mr. Do Thang Hai has held the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, directly responsible for signing and issuing business licenses for petroleum export and import and directing the Domestic Market Department.

Former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai.

In June 2021, the business license of Xuyen Viet Oil Company is about to expire. Due to not meeting the conditions for re-issuance of the license, Ms. Mai Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the company, directed her subordinates to contact the leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to request re-issuance.

Through the introduction, Ms. Hanh contacted Mr. Hai to ask for help and promised to “thank” if he was supported to reissue the license. Mr. Hai agreed and introduced Ms. Hanh to contact Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department, for specific instructions. At the same time, Mr. Hai directed Mr. Tuan by phone, requesting that he promptly review and resolve the application of Xuyen Viet Oil Company.

After that, Ms. Hanh directly discussed with Mr. Tuan to ask for support. Mr. Tuan reported the incident to Mr. Tran Duy Dong, Director of the Domestic Market Department. The two agreed to follow Mr. Hai's instructions.

On June 17, 2021, Mr. Dong Xuan Dung, Ms. Hanh's driver, gave 10,000 USD to Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of Xuyen Viet Oil. Mr. Thang continued to transfer 5,000 USD to Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan for help in granting a license, the remaining amount was sent to the company's Hanoi branch.

However, Xuyen Viet Oil's application submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade was not accepted because it did not meet the requirements for specialized ports, fuel receiving warehouses and distribution systems as prescribed.

Ms. Hanh continued to ask Mr. Tuan for support and promised to pay 300,000 USD to cover the expenses. Mr. Tuan agreed and guided Ms. Hanh to complete the procedures. Following Ms. Hanh's instructions, Mr. Thang looked for a business partner with a retail gasoline dealer system to legalize the conditions.

After completing the documents, Mr. Thang went to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to meet Mr. Tuan and was taken to Mr. Tran Duy Dong's office. There, Mr. Thang left the bag of money near Mr. Dong's sofa, with the message "Ms. Hanh sent you a gift".

After Mr. Thang left, Mr. Tuan and Mr. Dong divided the amount of 250,000 USD (about 5.6 billion VND). Mr. Dong kept 120,000 USD, and Mr. Tuan kept 130,000 USD.

Check symbols and then grant permission

On November 12, 2021, an inspection team from the Ministry of Industry and Trade led by Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan came to inspect the licensing conditions of Xuyen Viet Oil. Under Ms. Hanh's direction, the team only inspected a symbolic gas station.

Ms. Hanh also gave Mr. Tuan 10,000 USD to bribe him. Although he did not conduct a full inspection of the conditions of the agency, port and fuel receiving warehouse as prescribed, Mr. Tuan still signed the minutes confirming that Xuyen Viet Oil basically met the conditions for granting a license.

On November 19, 2021, based on Mr. Tuan's proposal, Mr. Do Thang Hai signed a business license for Xuyen Viet Oil, valid until 2026. After being licensed, on December 22, 2021, Ms. Hanh and her staff met Mr. Hai at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and gave him a gift bag containing 50,000 USD.

During the inspection in November 2021, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan discovered that Xuyen Viet Oil did not set aside the Petroleum Price Stabilization Fund (BOG) as prescribed. However, because he had received money from Ms. Hanh, Mr. Tuan ignored this violation and did not recommend handling or rectification.

The indictment shows that the entire licensing process for Xuyen Viet Oil Company contained many serious violations, including bribery, falsification of inspection results and ignoring legal regulations.

Hoang Tho

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cuu-thu-truong-cong-thuong-cung-thuoc-cap-bi-cao-buoc-nhan-hoi-lo-365-000-usd-ar908212.html