In recent days, public opinion has paid special attention to the case of the couple who owned the Mailisa beauty salon system being prosecuted and expanded the investigation by the authorities related to the crime of smuggling.
It is noteworthy that, in addition to accusations of smuggling, the Mailisa system has been known for many years for large-scale charity activities in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and many other localities across the country: giving thousands of gifts to flood areas, building charity houses, and providing medical support to the poor.
It is normal for the Mailisa beauty salon owner and her husband to do charity work on a large scale. But when they are prosecuted and investigated for smuggling, charity will become unusual before, because public opinion has the right to doubt the non-transparent origin of the money used for charity.
And this suspicion is not only reserved for the couple who owned the Mailisa beauty salon system, but also a common suspicion with many cases of KOLs and very famous businessmen who were arrested on charges related to fraud, appropriation of property, smuggling, tax evasion, etc.
These people, as well as the couple who owned the Mailisa beauty salon system, were very famous for their charity activities across the country before being arrested.
Recent reality shows a repeated pattern for many KOLs, businessmen, and celebrities: the fast rate of getting rich is hard to explain, the luxurious lifestyle and in parallel, the activities of volunteering are bustling, reported by the media.
This is the reason why when an individual is arrested and prosecuted for investigation, public opinion immediately has two opposite emotions: one side is suspicious or the other side feels "tester", even "sympathize" because that person has done charity work and helped many poor people and those in distress during natural disasters.
It is these " Regrets" and "sympathy" that unintentionally make doubts about the origin of assets and non-transparent charitable sources easily overlooked.
It is known that every donation money that goes to the poor, especially people in disaster and flood areas, is very valuable and necessary, which is to promote the tradition of "the healthy leaves cover the torn leaves", is a timely support to help the disadvantaged overcome the times of danger, however, kindness cannot become a tool to "d better off" the non-transparent money. If financial resources are illegal, using them for charity does not make money "cleaner"; on the contrary, it distorts the very pure human values of charity activities.
We appreciate the support for the poor, but we cannot ignore anyone's obligation to comply with the law through emotional tears while giving gifts.
As legal experts have affirmed, doing charity is not a spell that exempts legal liability.
Current Vietnamese law considers social activities and helping the poor as mitigating circumstances. But this law is built on the premise that it is a sincere charitable act, originating from voluntary and with legal financial resources.
The law is not designed for cases that take advantage of charity to conceal illegal acts or create a positive image to disrupt public opinion.
Charity in non-transparent coins, sometimes from violating the law through smuggling, tax evasion, fraud... will break social trust.
This makes sincere volunteers suspicious, causing every donation to be questioned. And the most serious damage in this case is the poor in society.
