Sharp files complaint against Asanzo for faking documents

According to Masashi Kubo, general director of Sharp Electronics Vietnam, Asanzo intentionally created a fake document to deceive consumers into thinking that Asanzo has a business partnership with Sharp, and that it has been using Sharp’s technology to make its products.

"The behavior of Asanzo Group Joint Stock Company not only affects the rights and interests of consumers, but also seriously affects the prestige and brand of Sharp Group," he said.

The subsidiary of electronics giant Sharp filed the complaint with the Ministry of Public Security and Ho Chi Minh City police on Thursday, requesting the agencies to inspect the validity of the alleged fake document.

According to Sharp Electronics Vietnam, on September 17, at a public press conference, Asanzo had produced a document showing it had a business partnership with a company called Sharp-Roxy Hong Kong, which is a business alliance between Sharp and Roxy Electronic Company Ltd.

However, Sharp Electronics Vietnam says the Sharp-Roxy Hong Kong business alliance was terminated on October 31, 2016, therefore it would be impossible for Sharp-Roxy Hong Kong to issue a partnership document to Asanzo dated September 12, 2019.

Sharp had acquired all of Roxy Electronic’s stake in the joint venture, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese electronics maker and had its name changed to Sharp Hong Kong Co., Ltd. from October 2016, Sharp Electronics Vietnam said.

"It is obvious that the document introduced by Asanzo in their press conference on Tuesday was counterfeit," Sharp Electronics Vietnam said.

Sharp Electronics Vietnam said it had also sent a letter to Asanzo asking for clarification and a public apology for giving false information to the media, threatening to file a legal claim if the Vietnamese manufacturer does not comply.

When asked, Asanzo chairman Pham Van Tam declined to comment on Sharp’s accusation, but told VnExpress that the document in question was sent to Asanzo by a Chinese partner who is a tier one supplier to Sharp-Roxy Hong Kong.

"We can assure you the document is not a fake," he said, adding that Asanzo is working with the Chinese partner and Sharp Electronics Vietnam on this matter.

Asanzo, a Ho Chi Minh City-based home appliances maker that dominates the rural market, is being investigated for importing components from China and replacing "made in China" stickers with Vietnamese ones.

The investigation, which has been going on for three months, came after local newspaper Tuoi Tre reported in June that the company did not manufacture any of the components for its products and imported everything from China.

Asanzo has countered that it imports about 70 percent of components from China and makes other parts, like TV plastic cases and remote controls, in Vietnam.

Asanzo, founded in 2013, has the fourth largest market share in Vietnam's TV market. It has also expanded into the refrigeration, consumer electronics, home appliances, and smartphone segments.

In just three years, it accounted for 70 percent of the TV market in rural areas and 16 percent nationwide.