Tien Phong journalist arrested for bribery

Phan Ha Binh was caught red-handed while receiving bribes at a restaurant in HCMC

Ministry of Public Security police arrested Thursday Phan Ha Binh, a journalist of Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, for receiving bribes.

Binh, whose pen name is Ha Phan, was caught red-handed while receiving VND220 million (US$11,282) from a representative of the Saigon-Tan Ky Cement Joint Stock Company at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police said 41-year-old Binh, who is the deputy managing editor of Tien Phong newspaper, used a news report to blackmail the company.

Tien Phong newspaper on September 18 ran a story written by Binh about a project of the company, in which there is some sensitive information that would affect the company’s reputation.

Binh repeatedly demanded the company to give him money, otherwise he would write more stories about it, according to police.

A company representative was handling VND220 million to him on Thursday when the police arrived and arrested him.

Police also search his house and the rep office of Tien Phong newspaper on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3.

Nguyen Xuan Mung, deputy chief of Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency, said police are investigating more suspects related to the case.

Related Articles

• Hanoi T&T win first V-League after scoreless draw
• Most ice is unhygienic
• Vietnam fishermen yet to return, China help sought
• French Cultural Center to host Indochina themed discussion
• Competition serves sustainable agenda

Tien Phong journalist arrested for bribery

Phan Ha Binh was caught red-handed while receiving bribes at a restaurant in HCMC

Ministry of Public Security police arrested Thursday Phan Ha Binh, a journalist of Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, for receiving bribes.

Binh, whose pen name is Ha Phan, was caught red-handed while receiving VND220 million (US$11,282) from a representative of the Saigon-Tan Ky Cement Joint Stock Company at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police said 41-year-old Binh, who is the deputy managing editor of Tien Phong newspaper, used a news report to blackmail the company.

Tien Phong newspaper on September 18 ran a story written by Binh about a project of the company, in which there is some sensitive information that would affect the company’s reputation.

Binh repeatedly demanded the company to give him money, otherwise he would write more stories about it, according to police.

A company representative was handling VND220 million to him on Thursday when the police arrived and arrested him.

Police also search his house and the rep office of Tien Phong newspaper on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3.

Nguyen Xuan Mung, deputy chief of Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Agency, said police are investigating more suspects related to the case.

Related Articles

• Hanoi T&T win first V-League after scoreless draw
• Most ice is unhygienic
• Vietnam fishermen yet to return, China help sought
• French Cultural Center to host Indochina themed discussion
• Competition serves sustainable agenda

Fraudulent lenders cheat farmers

BA RIA - VUNG TAU — At least 20 farmers in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province's Dat Do District each have lost hundreds of millions of dong to conmen posing as middlemen to help farmers access loans.

The conmen typically help the farmers get the bank loans and appropriate a large part of it, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reports.

Nguyen Van Lam, a duck breeder in the district, is one of the victims.

In 2006, Lam was in a critical situation after his flock died of disease and his house was flattened by a storm.

Huynh Thi Phong, who resides in Vung Tau City's Thang Tam Ward, offered to help Lam complete procedures to get a bank loan.

To earn Lam's trust, Phong lent him VND50 million to pay back his previous loan at the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam, Ba Ria – Vung Tau branch, and retrieve the certificate of land-use rights to his 10,000sq.m of land that had been used as collateral.

With Lam's certificate of land-use rights, Phong helped Lam complete procedures to borrow VND100 million from the Viet Nam Technological and Commercial Joint-stock Bank (Techcombank)'s Ba Ria-Vung Tau branch.

Instead, without Lam's knowledge, Phong applied for a VND600 million loan.

Lam said he trusted Phong, so he only followed the latter's instructions when signing the documents for the loan without reading it carefully.

It was only when Lam got the loan from the bank that he knew he had applied for VND600 million and that Phong would keep VND500 million.

Because he urgently needed money to repair his house, Lam could only accept the loan and ask Phong to sign a note saying she had borrowed VND500 million from him and would repay it with interest when the loan was due.

On the due day, Lam came to Phong's house to ask for the payment, but she had run away.

Finally, Lam had to sell his land to pay the loan and interest rate, which had reached VND696 million.

It turns out Phong had similarly swindled more than 10 people in Dat Do District.

Some of her victims have filed lawsuits against Phong.

Tuoi Tre reports that other people in the province have also used similar tricks to cheat several farmers, leaving the latter facing huge bank debts.

The victims have lost between hundreds of millions of dong to VND2 billion to this ruse, and many have had to sell off their land to repay the bank loans. — VNS

Related Articles

• High rice price cuts exports
• Cashew traders yet to embrace trading center system
• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy

Germany demands refund of aid from province

Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park was named World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003

German development bank KfW has asked Quang Binh Province to refund aid money worth US$257,400 after local authorities failed to comply with agreements on preserving the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.

KfW had approved aid worth $18.5 million to the central province in 2008 and last year transferred $257,400 for planting and protecting forests.

But the Phong Nha Ke Bang authorities failed to protect the 2,000-square-kilometer park, named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003, from destruction to make way for farms, the bank said in a letter to the province People’s Committee.

The province has done virtually nothing to plant trees on 4,250 ha in the buffer zone as agreed, it said, or make a survey of the park’s bio-diversity.

Nguyen Huu Hoai, chairman of the Quang Binh People’s Committee, admitted lapses in the KfW-funded preservation project.

But the project will be placed directly under the management of the People’s Committee as agreed with the bank, he said.

The Phong Nha Ke Bang national park, around 500km south of Hanoi, includes one of the world’s largest limestone regions with 300 caves and primary forests.

Related Articles

• Party reports come in from provinces
• Blue ear disease hits 11 provinces in Vietnam
• Vietnam demands China cease island grab
• High rice price cuts exports
• Boycott fear forces river polluter payout