Proposal to prosecute 22 defendants in the invoice trading ring of more than 4,300 billion VND

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department has just completed the investigation and transferred the case file to the People's Procuracy at the same level to propose prosecuting 22 defendants in a large-scale fake invoice trading ring. These people were prosecuted for two crimes: "illegally printing, issuing, and trading invoices" as prescribed in Article 203 and "tax evasion" as prescribed in Article 200 of the Penal Code.

This huge invoice trading ring was led by defendant Hoang Dang Ngoc My Trang.

Through professional measures, the Department of Investigation Police on Corruption, Economic Crimes and Smuggling (PC03), Ho Chi Minh City Police discovered a large-scale fake invoice trading ring organized and operated by defendant Hoang Dang Ngoc My Trang.

Defendant Trang has many accomplices and is related to thousands of businesses across the country.

After a period of investigation and evidence collection, in early March 2023, PC03 Department - Ho Chi Minh City Police coordinated with other units to simultaneously inspect and search 9 locations in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai... The police arrested many subjects, seized 70 business seals, many computer hard drives, phones and a large number of invoices and documents with fake content.

During the investigation, the subjects confessed that from 2017 to March 2023, they hired people or bought ID cards and CCCDs at pawnshops or used fake ID cards and CCCDs to establish a series of ghost businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. The group used social networks to offer VAT invoices with fake content, with an agreement of 1.5 - 2% of the total invoice value excluding tax.

To keep the network secret, defendant Trang recruited family members or close relatives to participate and assigned each person specific tasks.

The Investigation Police Agency determined that from April 2017 to March 2023, the defendant Trang and his accomplices established 41 ghost enterprises, illegally selling 34,292 value-added invoices to 3,273 enterprises and units in 52 provinces/cities across the country with a total pre-tax value of more than VND 3,950 billion, value-added tax of more than VND 380 billion, total value of more than VND 4,336 billion.

From March to June 2023, the Investigation Police Agency prosecuted 12 defendants. Of which, Trang and 2 others were prosecuted for "Illegal printing, issuance, and trading of invoices", and 9 other defendants were prosecuted for "Illegal trading of invoices". Of which, Do Thi Cat Trinh was a former tax officer of Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

In the process of expanding the investigation related to the business buying and using fake invoices, in September 2023, the Investigation Police Agency prosecuted 10 defendants. Of which, 8 people were prosecuted for "tax evasion" and 2 others were prosecuted for "illegally buying and selling invoices".