On September 18, the Supreme People's Procuracy issued an indictment to prosecute former Secretary of Ben Tre Province Le Duc Tho on charges of Abusing position and power to influence others for personal gain and Receiving bribes.
Ms. Mai Thi Hong Hanh, Director and Chairwoman of the Board of Members of Xuyen Viet Oil Transport and Tourism Trading Company Limited, was prosecuted for two crimes: Violating regulations on management and use of State assets causing loss and waste and Bribery.
According to the indictment, Mr. Le Duc Tho twice received bribes totaling 600,000 USD, and many times received gifts, each time several hundred thousand USD from Ms. Hanh.
There are many other assets of great value, but the Investigation Agency determined that there was not enough basis to consider criminal responsibility for Mr. Le Duc Tho. During the time Mr. Tho held the position and worked in Ben Tre, Ms. Hanh gave Mr. Tho 200,000 USD, 300 million VND, a Patek Philippe watch, and a set of expensive golf clubs.
Greed is truly bottomless, too much money, not a little wealth, a former Secretary disregards morality, dignity, grabs everything. What does he need a Patek Philippe watch for, can only be explained by greed.
Being a high-ranking official, the government provided a car for commuting, but greed forced him to accept an additional Mercedes S450 worth nearly 7 billion VND. Greed for unjust wealth, not only could he not keep it, but he also lost everything.
The money and assets that Mr. Le Duc Tho received in bribes and profited from must be confiscated in full, not a single penny left. Mr. Le Duc Tho and the officials at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, for money, created conditions for Xuyen Viet Oil to cause a loss of 1,463 billion VND of state assets. Confiscation is to compensate for the damage caused by Xuyen Viet Oil and them.
Along with Mr. Le Duc Tho, Mr. Do Thang Hai - former Deputy Minister of Ministry of Industry and Trade; Tran Duy Dong and Hoang Anh Tuan, Nguyen Loc An - former Director and 2 former Deputy Directors of the Domestic Market Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade were also prosecuted for "Receiving bribes". Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai received 50,000 USD, Tran Duy Dong 250,000 USD, Nguyen Loc An was accused of receiving bribes 4 times totaling more than 921 million VND from the owner of Xuyen Viet Oil.
Dealing with bribery and corruption crimes is done in accordance with the law. However, only by recovering corrupt and bribery assets can the fight against corruption be truly successful.
Don't let anyone figure out the plan to keep bribery and corruption assets so that after being released from prison they can "enjoy the countryside". Other officials just look at those who are in prison, have nothing, and have no honor, to protect themselves.
