Reasons for the delay in announcing the disciplinary action against the two market management officials.

On the sidelines of the government press conference on the afternoon of December 3rd, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai answered questions.PVRegarding the reason for the delay in announcing the results of disciplinary action against the two Deputy Directors of the Market Management Department for violations in the Con Cung case, Mr. Hai stated that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is proceeding with the next steps after submitting a comprehensive report to the Prime Minister.

"We are considering conducting the review within the Party in a step-by-step process, from the Party branch, to the Party committee, and then to the Party committee's leadership board. After that, we will evaluate, consider, and vote, and finally issue the disciplinary conclusion," Mr. Hai shared.

Previously, on October 3rd, the Ministry announced the conclusions of its review of the market management inspection process at Con Cung. Accordingly, it was determined that two Deputy Directors of the Market Management Department, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tin and Mr. Tran Hung, showed signs of violating the law and regulations on public statements.

At a press conference three months ago, Mr. Hai promised to announce the results by the end of August. However, after three months, the agency has still not reached a final conclusion.

In response to the question of whether the Ministry of Industry and Trade "has been slow in announcing the results of disciplinary action against officials who committed violations," Mr. Do Thang Hai explained, "This is a matter involving people, so we must report to the competent authorities and proceed cautiously step by step; we cannot rush."He added that the Ministry would try to resolve the issue "within 2018 and not let it drag on into the following year."

According to the Ministry's inspection team's findings, Mr. Tin made inaccurate statements about Con Cung's violations at a meeting of the National Steering Committee against Commercial Fraud, Smuggling, and Counterfeit Goods (Committee 389). Mr. Hung, on the other hand, provided information related to the case during an inspection at the company without proper authority.

"The actions of the two leaders of the market management force have caused negative effects, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of the nature of the events in public opinion, as well as affecting the business operations of enterprises," the Ministry of Industry and Trade concluded.

The Con Cung supermarket chain is facing allegations of fraudulent product origin claims stemming from a customer in Ho Chi Minh City who purchased a T-shirt set with product code CF G127011. The customer claims the product's original label was cut off and replaced with a "Made in Thailand" label. Since the allegations arose, Con Cung has repeatedly denied the claims and provided evidence in its press releases asserting that it does not sell counterfeit or fake goods.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's inspection report on Con Cung's compliance with production and business laws, published in mid-August, the company did not violate regulations on selling counterfeit goods as previously suspected, but only made mistakes in promotions and e-commerce.