HCMC police hunt French CEO of e-commerce site over $280,000 debt

Loic Erwan Kevin Gautier, 30, director and legal representative of e-commerce website Leflair that sells clothes, household items and cosmetics, has not been found at his house in Thao Dien area of District 2, home to a large expat community.

If Gautier fails to cooperate with police within 30 days from the date of notice, police would "handle the case in accordance with the law," police said Thursday.

Police said there are signs of "abuse of trust to appropriate property" in this case.

Earlier the police received complaints from several businesses stating Leflair had failed to pay suppliers months after the company ceased operations.

Leflair was established in 2015 by Gautier and a French friend, claiming to sell authentic products from world-famous brands, raising nearly $12 million from investors.

The company said during its four years of operation it had served over 120,000 customers and earned annual revenues of tens of millions of dollars.

Last February, Leflair announced it would cease operations in the Vietnamese market due to financial troubles.