HCMCity (VNA) – The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City opened on March17 the first instance trial on an asset embezzlement case at the Ben Thanhbranch of the State-owned Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(Agribank).

NguyenThi Hoang Oanh, former Director of Agribank Ben Thanh, was charged withembezzlement, bribery, and violation of lending regulations in creditinstitutions’ activities.

Otherdefendants who are former staff members of Agribank Ben Thanh consist of NguyenQuoc Viet (former deputy head of the Vien Dong transaction office), Cao Bao Hieu(former deputy head of the business planning section), Bui Cong Tien (formertreasurer), Ho Dinh Thanh (former staff member of the business planning section).They were prosecuted for embezzling and violating lending regulations.

Meanwhile,Huynh Ngoc Thach (former General Director of the Lien Luc Dia transport jointstock company) was accused of embezzlement. Le Van Tinh (Director of the KimGia Thuan Co. Ltd) was charged with swindling and bribing.

Fourother defendants, namely Tran Truong Vu Son Quyen, Pham Dinh Kim Chi, Le ThiHoa, and Huynh Thi Lan Phuong, were charged with swindling.

Accordingto the indictment, from August 2008 to 2012, Oanh and her brother-in-law TruongThe Thanh, who was former head of the branch’s planning section and already diedof illness, ordered staff members to make fake borrowing dossiers under the namesof some people and legal entities so as to withdraw 2,660 taels (one taelweighs 37.5 grams) of gold, equivalent to over 47 billion VND (about 2.07million USD), from Agribank Ben Thanh.

Whenthe debts were due, Oanh instructed Thanh and employees in coordination withthe Lien Luc Dia company to use the names of other persons and businesses to signcontracts to borrow more money and gold from Agribank Ben Thanh to pay the olddebt.

Asof 2012 – when an official investigation into the case was launched, the total valueof loans plus interest that Oanh took out at the branch came to more than 34billion VND (about 1.5 million USD).

Oanhalso took a bribe of 24 billion VND (1.05 million USD) offered by Le Van Tinhto help Tinh borrow gold from Agribank Ben Thanh. Although Tinh’s dossier wasineligible, Oanh agreed to lend him but asked him to receive cash instead ofgold.

Thebranch lent Tinh 4,350 gold taels and 28 billion VND (equivalent to over 137billion VND, or 6 million USD) on paper, but he received only more than 112 billionVND (4.9 million USD) in cash since the gold value was set lower than the realprice by 2 million VND per tael.

Tinhused the money to lend to other people at higher interest rates and invest inreal estate, but failed to recover the money.

Tocover her violations, Oanh continued to order employees to lend him more moneyto repay the old debt. Tinh currently owes Agribank Ben Thanh more than 36billion VND (1.58 million USD) and 5,600 gold taels, equivalent to 300 billionVND (13.2 million USD).

Thetrial will last until March 30.-VNA