Bank tycoons arrested for making a hefty loss

By Ngoc Le - Aug 02, 2017 | 07:48 AM GMT+7

TheLEADERThe Investigation Police Bureau for Economic Management Order Offences (C46) issued a warrant to prosecute and arrest two Sacombank officials – Tram Be (former Vice Chairman of Sacombank’s Board of Directors and former Chairman of Sacombank’s Credit Council) and Phan Huy Khang (former General Director of Sacombank).

Bank tycoons arrested for making a hefty loss
Bank tycoon Tram Be, one of the accused, is the former Vice Chairman of Sacombank’s Board of Directors. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

On August 1st, related to the case of Pham Cong Danh (former Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Bank - VNCB, former Chairman of the Executive Board and former General Director of Thien Thanh Group Company Limited) and his accomplices, C46 issued a warrant to prosecute and arrest Tram Be and Phan Huy Khang. They will be taken into custody for four months for “deliberately violating State regulations on economic management, causing severe consequences”.

Tram Be allegedly assisted Pham Cong Danh and his accomplices in depositing VNCB’s money into Sacombank as pledged assets to repay debt for six companies established by Danh. They caused the loss of more than VND1.8 trillion (roughly US$80 million) for VNCB.

More specifically, in April 2013, Danh and Phan Thanh Mai (former General Director of VNCB), Mai Huu Khuong (former Director of VNCB’s Saigon Branch), Nguyen Quoc Vien (former Chief Supervisor of VNCB) went to Sacombank’s District 3 branch to borrow money. Danh asked Be to lend him money. Be agreed to lend him US$80 million with the deposits of VNCB in Sacombank as pledged assets.

After that, he arranged a meeting between Danh and Phan Huy Khang to complete the procedures for the loan. The directors of Sacombank’s District 8 and Hung Dao branches received the files of six companies of Danh to proceed the loan.

To borrow this amount of money, Danh ordered his subordinates to make the fake financial statement of 2012 and the first six months of 2013 to submit to Sacombank. On April 26th, 2013, US$80 million was transferred to Danh's account. On the next day, about US$75 million was for clearing his debt in Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). Danh kept the remaining in his personal account.

Currently, authorities are still conducting a search of Be and Khang’s residences.