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Nov 15, 2018 / 09:06

Vietnam arrests two more MobiFone officials for alleged wrongdoings

Former General Director Cao Duy Hai and former Deputy Director Pham Thi Phuong Anh of MobiFone Corp. were both accused of “violating regulations on the management and use of state capital.”

Police in Vietnam have arrested two more officials of state-owned telecom services company MobiFone for alleged violations in the purchase of multimedia media AVG firm, part of effort to crackdown high-profile wrongdoers. 
 
Illustrative photo
Illustrative photo
Former General Director Cao Duy Hai and former Deputy Director Pham Thi Phuong Anh of MobiFone Corp. are both accused of “violating regulations on the management and use of state capital,” the Ministry of Public Security said on November 14.
 
Hai and Anh were blamed for signing a contract and taking part in the negotiation of an acquisition deal, causing losses to the state. 
 
The arrest of the pair followed the request earlier this month by President Nguyen Phu Trong to fight against corruption.     
 
MobiFone's former General Director Cao Duy Hai. Photo: Kinh Te Do Thi
MobiFone's former General Director Cao Duy Hai. Photo: Kinh Te Do Thi
MobiFone, one among Vietnam’s three largest mobile companies by subscribers, bought a 95% stake in loss-making pay-TV provider Audio Visual Global JSC (AVG) in 2015 for nearly VND8.9 trillion (US$386 million).
 
In July, police arrested Le Nam Tra, former chairman of MobiFone, and Pham Dinh Trong, head of Business Management Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications, for their involvement in the case. 
 
Earlier, former Information and Communications Minister Nguyen Bac Son was reprimanded by the Communist Party in October over alleged ties to the wrongdoings. Son was also stripped off as minister in the 2011-2016 term.
 
Chief Government Inspector Le Minh Khai said at the National Assembly’s hearing that authorized agencies have investigated 427 corruption cases involving in 889 officials. The investigated cases have resulted misappropriation of more than US$200 million and 300,000 square meters of land, he added.