HCMC – Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh, former deputy director of the HCMC Tax Department, has been sentenced to four years in prison by the HCMC People’s Court for violating regulations and causing a loss of VND365 billion.
The HCMC People’s Court issued sentences to 67 defendants involved in cases related to Thuduc House, HCMC Tax Department, HCMC Customs Department, and other relevant units.
The former officials from the HCMC Tax Department received suspended sentences ranging from two and a half years and four years of imprisonment terms. They were found guilty of colluding with Hanh and held responsible for the significant consequences resulting from their negligence.
Nguyen Vu Bao Hoang, former CEO of Thuduc House, was sentenced to six years in prison for misappropriation of assets and violations of regulations that led to serious consequences.
According to the verdict, Hanh and the former officials of the HCMC Tax Department disregarded tax management risk indicators and unlawfully approved tax refunds for Thuduc House from April 2018 to June 2019, resulting in a loss of VND365 billion to the State.
The verdict also said that Trinh Tien Dung was the mastermind of the case, collaborating with several executives of Thuduc House to engage in multiple business deals with eight foreign firms between February 2018 and June 2019.
They illegally exported electronic parts worth US$158 million, or VND3.6 trillion, to the U.S., Cambodia, UAE, Singapore, and other countries, claiming a value-added tax of 0%.
Dung and his subordinates forged and submitted 19 documents to the HCMC Tax Department to claim VAT refunds, fraudulently obtaining over VND430 billion.
The HCMC Tax Department issued 17 tax refund decisions totaling over VND365 billion for this company, with Hanh signing 15 of those decisions.
As Trinh Tien Dung is currently evading authorities, his criminal offenses have been separated into a separate case, which will be processed once he is apprehended.