Truong Thanh Nien telling his story to Thanh Nien last November Sunday, March 9, 2008
Reported by Phuc Nam
Thanh Nien News (Hanoi)
Two executives of a southern Vietnamese firm, who last year asked to be jailed to escape their debtors, have been arrested and charged with fraud.
Police of Tay Ninh Province said they arrested Truong Hoang Dung and Truong Thanh Nien, manager and deputy manager respectively of Tay Ninh-based Nhat Tan Co. Ltd, on Thursday.
The pair are alleged to have forged documents to collect tax rebates of about VND2.3 billion (US$143,700) since 2003.
They were charged with “swindling the state of its property.”
Police searched their homes and offices and seized important documents pertaining to the case.
Nhat Tan, founded in 2002, exported products such as tea and coffee to Cambodia.
Between 2003 to 2005, Nhat Tan allegedly worked with several local agents who were not authorized to export goods to Cambodia to fake documents showing the firm had exported goods.
Nhat Tan, however, allegedly only completed the customs procedures for the private agents who were the actual exporters of the consignments.
Nhat Tan then claimed rebates for the value-added tax paid on the goods.
In April 2005, the company lodged a claim for a rebate of VND1.5 billion ($93,700) but the provincial tax bureau rejected the application on suspicion the documents were fake.
Tax officials said two of Nhat Tan’s Cambodian partners had invalid permits and hence any money transferred from Cambodia to the firm’s Vietnamese bank account was illegal.
The denial of the rebate led to the pair pleading to be jailed.
“The delay in refunding value-added tax rebates by the province’s taxation bureau has made our company bankrupt,” they wrote in a petition, sighted by Thanh Nien, to the provincial administration and police last November.
“We are at an impasse and request imprisonment as the only way to escape the debtors.”
Dung and Nien said their company was insolvent, with monthly loan repayments of VND100 million ($6,200).
Police said they were investigating the private agents.
Police of Tay Ninh Province said they arrested Truong Hoang Dung and Truong Thanh Nien, manager and deputy manager respectively of Tay Ninh-based Nhat Tan Co. Ltd, on Thursday.
The pair are alleged to have forged documents to collect tax rebates of about VND2.3 billion (US$143,700) since 2003.
They were charged with “swindling the state of its property.”
Police searched their homes and offices and seized important documents pertaining to the case.
Nhat Tan, founded in 2002, exported products such as tea and coffee to Cambodia.
Between 2003 to 2005, Nhat Tan allegedly worked with several local agents who were not authorized to export goods to Cambodia to fake documents showing the firm had exported goods.
Nhat Tan, however, allegedly only completed the customs procedures for the private agents who were the actual exporters of the consignments.
Nhat Tan then claimed rebates for the value-added tax paid on the goods.
In April 2005, the company lodged a claim for a rebate of VND1.5 billion ($93,700) but the provincial tax bureau rejected the application on suspicion the documents were fake.
Tax officials said two of Nhat Tan’s Cambodian partners had invalid permits and hence any money transferred from Cambodia to the firm’s Vietnamese bank account was illegal.
The denial of the rebate led to the pair pleading to be jailed.
“The delay in refunding value-added tax rebates by the province’s taxation bureau has made our company bankrupt,” they wrote in a petition, sighted by Thanh Nien, to the provincial administration and police last November.
“We are at an impasse and request imprisonment as the only way to escape the debtors.”
Dung and Nien said their company was insolvent, with monthly loan repayments of VND100 million ($6,200).
Police said they were investigating the private agents.
No comments:
Post a Comment