Ministry official took bribes of $16,000, Patek Philippe watch for oil import license: police

The Ministry of Public Security said that in August 2016, Xuyen Viet Oil, headed by its director Mai Thi Hong Hanh, 45, received a license for petroleum import and export from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

But it had initially been refused for failing to meet licensing conditions, causing Hanh to bribe Nguyen Loc An, deputy director at the ministry's domestic market department.

Nguyen Loc An, former deputy director at the Ministry of Industry and Trade's domestic market department. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Public Security

In January 2016 she had met An, 59, through social connections in HCMC and sought his help for obtaining the license despite not meeting certain conditions.

An agreed to help, told her it would cost VND5-7 billion, but advised her on submitting the necessary papers to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

At this first meeting, he accepted VND50 million from her. Four months later they met again in HCMC, and this time he took VND100 million.

Hanh had also completed the necessary documents and submitted an application to the ministry for the license.

On Aug. 18, 2016, An led a ministry inspection team to Xuyen Viet Oil's headquarters in HCMC to assess the company's eligibility for the license.

The investigators said An failed to properly inspect the retail outlets, piers and fuel storage facilities the company claimed to have, but signed off on documents confirming it did.

He took VND250 million from Hanh this time.

A year later, in July 2017, after the company had received the license, An traveled to HCMC for work and was invited to Hanh's home for dinner on the pretext of a belated birthday party.

There, as a "reward" for his assistance in securing the license, she gave him a Patek Philippe watch.

An admitted to the police that he later sold it for $23,000.

Others in the net

A Xuyen Viet Oil's gas station in HCMC in 2020. Photo by VietOil

In June 2021, when Xuyen Viet Oil's license neared expiration and renewal seemed unlikely, Hanh sought the help of Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai.

He directed her to Hoang Anh Tuan, another deputy director in the ministry's domestic market department.

Again the application was rejected for failing to meet requirements.

Hanh arranged for a $10,000 bribe to be paid to Tuan, but he ended up receiving half the amount.

She then arranged another $300,000 to be given to Tuan and Tran Duy Dong, the department's director, in September 2021.

Hang sent an employee named Thang to deliver the bribe, but he pocketed $50,000 from it, only delivering $250,000 to Tuan and Dong, who split the money.

Tuan then approved the license renewal.

Hai in turn signed off on it even after a report highlighted the slapdash inspection.

Hang gave Hai $50,000 as a "thank you" gift, taking the total bribes she had paid in the saga to $365,000.

But it did not end there.

The police said Le Duc Tho had also abused his power, first as chairman of Vietinbank and then as Party secretary in the southern Ben Tre Province, to provide a credit line to Xuyen Viet Oil.

He took bribes from Hanh on two occasions in 2019-20 to provide a loan of VND400 billion ($16 million) with preferential interest rates and just 40% collateral.

The investigators said he had accepted bribes worth $600,000 and a series of luxury gifts including a Patek Philippe watch worth $421,000, a Mercedes Benz S450 car worth VND6.67 billion and a golf set worth VND1.1 billion.