Tax official dismissed for playing golf in violation of Covid safety measures

The General Department of Taxation announced Tuesday it had dismissed Nguyen Cong Thanh for "violating rules on Covid-19 prevention."

The department and the province Party Committee said his violation was "serious and caused him a loss of reputation."

Thanh played golf at a course in Nhon Ly Commune in Quy Nhon with Nguyen Van Dung, director of the Binh Dinh Department of Tourism, and two local businessmen on July 31 and August 1.

During that period the entire province was under a social distancing mandate that prohibited all public cultural, sport and entertainment activities among others.

At the golf course, all four came into direct contact with a woman employee, who tested positive two days later. Contact tracing revealed the two officials’ violation.

Thanh claimed later he had gone at the invitation of Huynh Thi Kim Binh, director of the province Tourism Promotion Center, to "survey the golf course."

The Party Committee inspection committee dismissed this as "untrue".

Inspectors said Binh had forged the invitation to enable Thanh and Dung to get away with their violation.

Dung and Binh were dismissed earlier this month.