Chief accountant 'magically' manipulated data, embezzling nearly 3 billion VND

By 'magically' manipulating the company's debt figures, Hung inflated the unpaid debt of 31 customers to more than 2.7 billion and appropriated a total of more than 2.5 billion VND from the company.

On the afternoon of December 21, the People's Court of Thua Thien - Hue province opened the first instance trial of defendant Nguyen Hung (born in 1972), residing at 42 Le Loi Street, Phu Hoi Ward, Hue City, for the crime of Abuse of trust to appropriate property.

According to the indictment, the defendant Nguyen Hung, former Head of Accounting - Finance Department and Chief Accountant of Tuynen 2 Brick Company Limited, Thua Thien Hue. At the end of 2015, Hung took advantage of his reputation to tell Ms. Tran Thi Kim Chi and Ms. Luong Thi Thanh Thuy, both treasurers of Tuynen 2 Brick Company Limited, to take the company's daily cash balance to lend to Hung for personal use.

After receiving the money, Hung promised to pay it back and not affect their work.

Defendant Hung at trial.

During the period from September 2, 2015 to October 9, 2016, Hung borrowed VND 956 million from Chi and VND 1.5 billion from Thuy from Tuynen 2 Brick Company Limited, Thua Thien - Hue.

To deceive the company, Hung edited the debt figures of customers on the 3rd Quarter 2016 Financial Statement. Accordingly, Hung canceled 65 receipts of 31 customers, inflated the unpaid debt of 31 customers to an amount of 2.7 billion VND and appropriated a total of more than 2.5 billion VND from the company.

In the investigation conclusion, the panel of judges confirmed that there was not enough basis to determine that Chi and Thuy were accomplices of defendant Hung because they did not benefit from the above violations; these two employees were both gullible and were taken advantage of by Hung to appropriate property.

At the trial, Hung confessed that all the money he had embezzled was used for football betting. The defendant also expressed remorse and hoped that the panel of judges would consider reducing his sentence so that he could soon return to his family and start a new life.

After deliberation, based on the aggravating and mitigating circumstances related to the case, the panel sentenced defendant Nguyen Hung to 12 years in prison for the crime of Abuse of trust to appropriate property as prescribed in Point a, Clause 4, Article 140 of the Penal Code; forced to compensate the total amount of 2,523 billion VND previously appropriated to Tuynen 2 Thua Thien - Hue Company Limited.

According to ANTT