Xuyen Viet Oil is not qualified, former Deputy Director still proposed to grant license

On the afternoon of November 21, the trial of the case that occurred at Xuyen Viet Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Company Limited continued with the questioning of the defendants.

Responding to the lawyer, defendant Tran Duy Dong, former Head of the Domestic Market Department ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), affirmed that he did not know anyone at Xuyen Viet Oil Company.

The defendant only met Nguyen Van Thang (Deputy Director of Hanoi Branch, Xuyen Viet Oil) through the introduction of Hoang Anh Tuan (former Deputy Director of Domestic Market Department), who said Thang had a small gift to send. The review of the documents and re-issuance of the license for Xuyen Viet Oil, according to defendant Dong, was entirely done by Tuan.

At the trial, defendant Hoang Anh Tuan admitted that he had not fully inspected Xuyen Viet Oil’s business establishments before proposing to grant the license. Tuan explained that, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, he could not directly inspect but still proposed to grant the license because of “pressure from superiors”.

According to the indictment, in June 2021, Xuyen Viet Oil's business license was about to expire but the company did not meet the conditions to be reissued. Xuyen Viet Oil's Chairman Mai Thi Hong Hanh directed Nguyen Van Thang to contact and bribe the leaders of the Domestic Market Department and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to get support.

Ms. Hanh contacted Nguyen Loc An (former Deputy Director) to ask Do Thang Hai (former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade) to intervene. Through the introduction, she met Hoang Anh Tuan, Tuan then reported to Tran Duy Dong. These two leaders agreed to "create conditions" for the company under the direction of Deputy Minister Hai.

On June 17, 2021, Ms. Hanh gave Nguyen Van Thang 10,000 USD to transfer to Hoang Anh Tuan. However, Thang only gave 5,000 USD, the rest was transferred to the company's branch fund. A week later, when Thang submitted the application, Hoang Anh Tuan signed a notice of refusal to grant the license because it did not meet the conditions for the wharf, receiving warehouse and gasoline distribution system.

Faced with this difficulty, Ms. Hanh continued to direct the purchase of more businesses to meet the requirements on the number of retail agents, and at the same time gave Thang 300,000 USD as "grease". Thang kept 50,000 USD, and the remaining 250,000 USD was brought to Tran Duy Dong's office with the message: "Ms. Hanh has a gift for you". This amount of money was then divided between Dong and Tuan.

In November 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade organized a delegation to inspect the licensing conditions for Xuyen Viet Oil, led by Hoang Anh Tuan. This time, Ms. Mai Thi Hong Hanh continued to direct the payment of 10,000 USD to Tuan. Thanks to that, the company met the standards and was granted a license to trade in petroleum until 2026.

In court, defendant Mai Thi Hong Hanh admitted to all acts of bribery as alleged in the indictment. Regarding the violations related to the Petroleum Price Stabilization Fund (BOG Fund), she affirmed that she was the head of the company and took full responsibility. However, she refused to answer the lawyer's questions regarding the details of these violations.
Regarding compensation for damages, Ms. Mai Thi Hong Hanh pledged to remedy the consequences, not only for her actions but also for the defendant Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong, Deputy Director of the company, to take responsibility.

Hoang Tho

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/xuyen-viet-oil-khong-du-dieu-kien-cuu-vu-pho-van-de-xuat-cap-phep-ar908820.html