Charges considered against former Vinashin executives

Vinashin former general director Trương Văn Tuyến. — Photo cafef.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Public Security has proposed charges against four former executives of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) for abusing their positions and power to appropriate assets.

The executives are former chairman of Vinashin’s member council Nguyễn Ngọc Sự, former general director Trương Văn Tuyến, former deputy general director Phạm Thanh Sơn and ex-chief accountant Trần Đức Chính, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

During the second phase of the investigation into Ocean Bank’s former chairman Hà Văn Thắm and his accomplices in an embezzlement case, investigators from the ministry found that Sự had appropriated VNĐ8 billion; Tuyến, VNĐ3.5 billion; Sơn, VNĐ1.2 billion; and Chính, VNĐ10 billion.

From 2008 to 2010, Vinashin, now known as the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, encountered many difficulties and was on the verge of bankruptcy, prompting the Party and State to restructure the group. Accordingly, Vinashin received VNĐ2.2 trillion (US$94.8 million) from the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and VNĐ4.19 trillion from the Central Corporate Restructuring and Supporting Fund.

The group later deposited VNĐ109.9 trillion and nearly US$181.8 million in the Thăng Long branch of Ocean Bank to earn interest of some VNĐ1.1 trillion and more than US$29,600.

Ocean Bank gave Chính extra-contractual interest sums of VNĐ105 billion and Hoàng Đình Tâm, Chính’s successor, VNĐ586 million.

Chinh later declared he had given VNĐ50.5 billion to Sự, VNĐ15 billion to Tuyến and VNĐ7.5 billion to Sơn and kept VNĐ10 billion for himself. The remainder was used for Vinashin’s operations.

Sự, Tuyến and Sơn deny Chính’s claims, stating they had received smaller amounts.—VNS