Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Court commenced the first-instance trial on the morning of November 2 for Chu Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Thien Minh Duc Group Joint Stock Company, along with 22 other defendants, in a case involving embezzlement, the illegal issuance and trading of invoices for state budget payments, and tax evasion.
Apart from 66-year-old Thanh, 11 other defendants are from Thien Minh Duc Company. They include Nguyen Thi Bich Lien (born in 1979, chief accountant), Le Thanh An (born in 1968, Deputy General Director), Mai Anh Tuyen (born in 1974, Deputy General Director).
According to the indictment announced by the Supreme People’s Procuracy at the trial, from 2020 to 2022, acting on Thanh’s instructions, Lien, An and Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai (born in 1989, an accountant), helped her embezzle nearly 80 billion VND (3.1 million USD) from the Petrol Price Stabilisation Fund (BOG Fund) of Thien Minh Duc Company.
Also at her direction, Lien, An and Le Thi Ngoc Lan (born in 1980, cashier) issued 153 fictitious value-added invoices for petrol sales by Thien Minh Duc Company, generating more than 20 billion VND in illicit gains.
In connection with the case, Chu Duc Manh (born in 1980, head of the sales department of Thien Minh Duc Company), Le Khac Duan and Duong Thi Thanh Huong from the same company sold petrol at the Nghi Thiet depot without issuing invoices. They subsequently issued 105 fictitious value-added invoices to reconcile stock figures in the accounting records, helping Thanh obtain illicit gains of 6.2 billion VND.
Additionally, 48 fictitious value-added invoices were issued to adjust stock figures in the accounting records, resulting in illicit gains of 14.3 billion VND for Thanh.
The indictment stated that defendants Manh and Tuyen were aware that petrol had been sold without invoices and that fictitious invoices were issued at the Nghi Thiet and Hoang Huy depots to misappropriate funds from Thien Minh Duc Company’s BOG Fund. Despite this knowledge, Manh continued to assist Thanh and her accomplices in embezzling more than 17 billion VND, while Tuyen facilitated the misappropriation of nearly 50 billion VND.
The indictment also stated that, during the investigation and prosecution of the case, the Supreme People’s Procuracy identified loopholes and shortcomings in several legal documents and in State management of inspections and supervisions of the use of the BOG Fund by major petrol trading companies. These shortcomings created conditions that contributed to the criminal acts committed by the defendants from Thien Minh Duc Company.
On this basis, the Supreme People’s Procuracy said it will recommend that relevant agencies revise the methods used to inspect and supervise the use of the BOG Fund, with a view to preventing violations, while ensuring that the fund’s resources are used to help regulate and stabilise domestic retail petrol prices.
The trial is expected to last four days./.
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