Gift bag for former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai contains 50,000 USD

The Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency has just completed the investigation into the case that occurred at Xuyen Viet Oil Company and related units, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade. During the investigation, the authorities have clarified the act of “Receiving bribes” by former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai and the defendants at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

According to the records, in June 2021, the license issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to Xuyen Viet Oil Company was about to expire. Due to not meeting the conditions to be re-issued the license, defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh (former Chairman of Xuyen Viet Oil Company) discussed and directed Nguyen Van Thang (Deputy Director of Hanoi Branch - Xuyen Viet Oil Company) to contact, connect, and bribe officials, leaders of the Domestic Market Department and leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to ask for help and create conditions to re-issue the license.

The conclusion stated that, due to a previous relationship, in mid-June 2021, defendant Hanh contacted Mr. Do Thang Hai (then Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade) to help reissue the license.

After that, Mr. Hai introduced and suggested Hanh to contact Hoang Anh Tuan (Deputy Director of Domestic Market Department) for guidance. At the same time, Mr. Hai called Tuan to direct the early review and settlement of the file of Xuyen Viet Oil Company.

Former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai

Through Mr. Hai's introduction, defendant Hanh contacted Tuan to discuss re-issuing a gasoline business license and asked Tuan for help.

Defendant Tuan reported this to his superior, Tran Duy Dong (Director of the Domestic Market Department), and agreed to create favorable conditions to help Hanh's business under the direction of Mr. Do Thang Hai.

On June 17, 2021, Hanh instructed driver Dong Xuan Dung to give 10,000 USD to Nguyen Van Thang so that Thang could meet and give Hoang Anh Tuan a "gift" of 5,000 USD. After the meeting, Thang reported to Hanh that he had paid the money to Tuan, and Thang put the remaining money into the company's Hanoi branch fund.

A week later, Thang submitted his application for a license but it was not approved because the application did not meet the requirements for a specialized wharf, a fuel receiving warehouse, and a fuel distribution system.

Defendant Hanh continued to contact Tuan for help and advice, and guidance on completing the procedures. Afterwards, Hanh directed Thang to find a key trader who owned a retail petrol station, to sign a contract to buy and sell shares, in order to legalize the conditions on the number of retail stations.

After completing the procedures to purchase shares from Dai Dong Xuan Company in Bac Giang to legally expand the agency, Hanh signed an official dispatch to the Domestic Market Department about having completed all the missing documents.

The conclusion also stated that on September 30, 2021, in order to achieve the purpose of re-issuing the license, the defendant Hanh contacted Nguyen Nhu Nguyen (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Anh Quang Ha Trung Trading Joint Stock Company) in Hanoi to buy 300,000 USD to bribe. After that, Hanh discussed with the driver to give a bribe to the leader of the Domestic Market Department.

With money, Hanh directed Nguyen Van Thang to bribe Hoang Anh Tuan and Tran Duy Dong.

At the Ministry of Industry and Trade headquarters, Thang took out 50,000 USD and put it in his personal handbag, then met Hoang Anh Tuan and was taken by Tuan to Tran Duy Dong's office. Here, Thang said he was giving Hanh a gift.

After Thang left, Dong and Tuan divided the $250,000 into parts, of which Dong kept $120,000 and gave $130,000 to Tuan.

At the end of 2021, the inspection team of the Ministry of Industry and Trade led by Hoang Anh Tuan inspected the conditions for granting a petroleum business license to Xuyen Viet Oil Company. During the inspection, Hanh continued to give Tuan 10,000 USD and confirmed that Hanh's company "basically meets the conditions to be re-granted a petroleum export and import business license...".

The conclusion stated that during this actual inspection, Hoang Anh Tuan checked and reviewed the establishment and use of the petroleum price stabilization fund at the company and discovered that the company did not set up the stabilization fund according to regulations. However, because Hanh had previously bribed Tuan many times, he ignored it and did not consider or propose any action against Hanh's company.

After the license was reissued, Hanh and three employees went to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to meet Mr. Do Thang Hai to give him money as a thank you. Upon arrival, Hanh and her subordinates went to Mr. Hai's office and gave him a gift bag containing 50,000 USD.

Based on the investigation results, documents and evidence collected along with the statements of the suspects, the Ministry of Public Security's Security Investigation Agency determined that Mai Thi Hong Hanh gave a total bribe of 365,000 USD to the leaders of the Domestic Market Department and the leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Accordingly, Mr. Do Thang Hai received a bribe of 50,000 USD, Tran Duy Dong received a bribe of 250,000 USD but appropriated 120,000 USD...

DO TRUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tui-qua-bieu-cuu-thu-truong-bo-cong-thuong-do-thang-hai-chua-50000-usd-post755991.html