HCMC – The People’s Court of the Central Highlands of Dak Nong on December 30 handed down a 12-year prison term to Trinh Suong, director of My Hung Co., Ltd in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, for producing and trading in more than 192 million liters of substandard fuels.
Suong was also asked to return VND151 billion earned from the illegal trade of substandard fuels and was fined VND100 million, the local media reported.
For other accomplices in the case, Nguyen Ngoc Quan, director of Tam Quang chemical company in HCMC, received a jail term of 8.5 years; Dinh Chi Dung, director of Dinh Chi Dung Company in HCMC, was forced to stay behind bars for 7.5 years, and Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa, deputy director of Pham Son Co., Ltd, the provider of chemicals to these substandard-fuel makers, got 5.5 years.
In addition, 35 other defendants got a jail term of 2.5 to six years.
Although Suong said the volume of substandard fuels that he had sold to the market announced by the procuracy was incorrect, the court has sufficient evidence to conclude that he and his accomplices had produced over 192 million liters of substandard fuels and sold nearly 189 million liters, earning more than VND151 billion.
Besides Suong, Dung sold over 4.2 million liters, earning over VND2.4 billion, while Quan produced and sold nearly 12 million liters, earning over VND3.5 billion.
Dung and Quan must also return the money they earned from the illegal trade of substandard fuels and were fined VND30 million and VND50 million, respectively.
Their violations impacted consumers and the fuel market order.
From 2017, Suong began directing his employees to blend chemicals and solvents with real gasoline in different ratios. Real gasoline accounted for 30% at the minimum and 80% or 90% at the maximum.
Suong hired more facilities to serve the production of low-quality fuels.
To serve the production and trade of substandard fuels, he also established a company and appointed his sister-in-law, Truong Nhu Tuyet Tram, as its director. Suong also rented more warehouses in Can Tho City’s O Mon District to expand fuel production through the Ressol Petrochemical Trade JSC, in which he held a 75% stake.
In May 2019, his poor-quality fuel production ring was busted.
