Vietnam Cracks Down on Corruption: Former Deputy Minister, Provincial Chief on Trial in Major Bribery Case

A major corruption trial involving a former deputy trade minister, a former provincial party chief, and the ex-head of a prominent oil company opened in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, Bloomberg reports.

The case centers around Mai Thi Hong Hanh, the former director and chairwoman of Xuyen Viet Oil, who stands accused of violating management regulations and misusing state assets, resulting in losses estimated at 1.46 trillion dong ($57.5 million).

Hanh and 14 co-defendants are alleged to have offered bribes totaling $1.3 million to government officials. These bribes, prosecutors claim, were used to circumvent regulations related to the petroleum price stabilization fund and secure favorable treatment in licensing and procurement.

Among the high-ranking officials implicated are Le Duc Tho, the former Ben Tre province party chief, accused of receiving $1.1 million in bribes and leveraging his position for personal gain. Do Thang Hai, a former deputy minister of industry and trade, faces charges of accepting $50,000 in bribes. The trial also includes three former trade ministry officials, a former deputy head of the finance ministry’s price management department, and a former head of the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department, according to the Phap Luat newspaper.

The Xuyen Viet Oil case unfolds concurrently with the appeal of real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, who received a death sentence in April for embezzling a staggering $12.3 billion – the largest fraud case in Vietnam’s history. Lan’s case represents the most high-profile target to date in the Communist Party’s years-long anti-corruption campaign, which has already ensnared hundreds of officials and business executives.

The trial at the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court is expected to conclude on December 5.