The Prime Minister directed 6 ministries to take action.

The Prime Minister has just issued a telegram on supporting pepper exporting enterprises to the UAE market (United Arab Emirates), in response to press reports that some enterprises that are members of the Vietnam Pepper Association are at risk of losing their pepper, cinnamon, star anise, and cashew nut export shipments to the UAE due to trade fraud.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to preside over and coordinate with the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Justice, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Transport; the State Bank of Vietnam directed the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE to continue to urgently work with the UAE authorities, requesting the UAE side to coordinate in investigating and clarifying the case of 4 containers of agricultural products that were lost to take measures to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese enterprises, in accordance with international law and local law.

Four shipments of Vietnamese goods exported to the UAE worth half a million USD may have been involved in a sophisticated fraud case. (Illustration photo)

The head of the Government requested the agencies to report the results of the handling before August 5. In the immediate future, it is necessary to request the UAE to apply urgent measures to protect a container of star anise of a Vietnamese enterprise at Jebel Ali port (UAE).

The Ministry of Industry and Trade presides over and coordinates with the Vietnam Pepper Association and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to recommend that businesses regularly inform the authorities to verify and carefully evaluate foreign partners before signing transaction agreements to prevent risks when there are issues related to disputes and suspected fraud. Fully and promptly notify the authorities when incidents occur to receive support to resolve and avoid arising damages.

The Prime Minister also requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to promote the construction and early establishment of Associations linking Vietnamese agricultural product exporting enterprises with UAE import and distribution enterprises to create a mechanism for cooperation in information exchange, prevent fraudulent activities, and resolve trade disputes.

Previously, the Vietnam Pepper Association issued a statement saying that 5 export containers of domestic enterprises, including 2 pepper containers, 1 cinnamon container, 1 star anise container and 1 cashew container, were involved in a sophisticated suspected fraud case.

The total value of the shipment was 516,761 USD. Of these, 4 shipments were taken out of the port without payment, with a total value of about 400 thousand USD; 1 shipment of star anise was scheduled to arrive on July 26, with a value of 126.3 thousand USD (the original documents were also lost).

At a recent cashew industry summary event, Mr. Bach Khanh Nhut, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Cashew Association, informed that the enterprise suspected of being scammed had met the partner enterprise at a fair in Dubai in February 2023. The two sides signed a contract, after which, 1 container of goods was smoothly delivered and sold in April 2023.

In June, the Vietnamese business continued to sign the second container of goods and encountered an incident of lost goods.

Half a million dollar fraud case: Vietnamese business meets buyer at fair Vietnamese export business met and signed an order with a buyer at a fair in Dubai. The first shipment went smoothly, but the second time they were scammed. The goods were lost and the partner disappeared without a trace.

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