Vietnam Police Arrest Deputy Trade Minister

Police in Vietnam have detained a deputy minister of Industry and Trade on an accusation of bribery, its security ministry said, the latest arrest in the ruling Communist Party’s years-long campaign against graft.

Do Hai, 60, was held as part of an investigation into alleged wrongdoing at an oil trading firm in southern Vietnam, the police-run Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

Hai is the latest among hundreds of Vietnamese officials investigated for corruption, many forced to quit, including former president and premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc and two deputy prime ministers.

Report says Hai’s home and his office were searched, however, the trade ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hai, a deputy minister since 2014, has been in charge of areas such as the domestic market, trade promotion, manufacturing, and international cooperation and has also been a ministry spokesperson.

Anti-Graft Campaign
The anti-graft campaign, dubbed “blazing furnace”, has reached deep into Vietnam’s corporate sector too, with tycoons, top stockbrokers, property developers, and even regulators ensnared, last year triggering a $40 billion wipeout for stocks and rattling investor confidence.

Additionally, Police have in recent weeks detained four others for their involvement in the case at Xuyen Viet Oil Travel and Transport Trading Co.

Those include the Communist Party’s top official in Ben Tre province and the head of the Finance Department of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s business hub, according to the police statement.

The city’s police department in a separate statement said Xuyen Viet had an outstanding tax debt of 1.53 trillion dong ($62.91 million) as of August 2023.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere