Summoning Mr. Tran Bac Ha to court in the banking scandal

The trial for the case of intentionally violating State regulations on economic management causing a loss of 6,000 billion VND at the Vietnam Construction Bank (VNCB) is scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 15.

Notably, the court summoned three former leaders of the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) as witnesses and people with related rights and obligations.

Specifically, Mr. Tran Bac Ha (former Party Secretary, former Chairman of the Board of Directors), Doan Anh Sang (former member of the Party Committee Standing Committee, Deputy General Director) and Mr. Tran Luc Lang (member of the Party Committee Standing Committee, Deputy General Director) have just been disciplined by the Central Inspection Commission. Mr. Ha was expelled from the Party, Mr. Sang was disciplined by being removed from all positions in the Party and Mr. Lang was warned.

Mr. Tran Bac Ha

Previously, according to the Central Inspection Committee, Messrs. Ha, Sang and Lang had violations related to the "big case" of VNCB.

According to the Central Inspection Committee, Mr. Ha violated the process, procedures, authority, and regulations on credit in approving policies and deciding on a number of loans, guarantees, investments, and debt management, including approving a loan policy of VND4,700 billion for 12 companies related to this case.

At the trial of this case at the beginning of the year, the prosecution agencies also summoned Mr. Ha to the trial to investigate and clarify in court. However, citing health reasons, Mr. Ha was sick with cancer and had to go abroad for medical treatment one day before the trial opened, so he was not present. Mr. Sang did come to court, but Mr. Lang invited a lawyer late, so the court did not accept him.

Mr. Pham Cong Danh at the trial in early 2018.

According to the additional investigation file after the court returned the file to the Investigation Agency and the Supreme People's Procuracy to clarify a number of issues, the prosecution agency maintained that Mr. Ha had signed 12 reports summarizing the opinions of the members of the Risk Management Sub-Committee, on the basis that the members of this committee agreed on the policy of lending to Mr. Danh's 12 companies to buy construction materials according to the four-house model (maximum amount of 4,700 billion VND/12 companies). Then authorized four branches Gia Dinh, Ben Thanh, Transaction Office 2 and Nam Sai Gon to carry out lending and debt collection.

In addition, Mr. Ha and the members of BIDV's Risk Management Subcommittee agreed in principle but did not lend to Mr. Danh and did not know that these 12 companies were established by Mr. Danh. BIDV has liquidated the above contracts and recovered the capital and interest of 4,700 billion VND. Mr. Danh used the BIDV loan for his own purposes, causing losses to VNCB of more than 2,550 billion VND. Through investigation, no documents, evidence, or statements have been found showing that Mr. Ha and the members benefited from lending to Mr. Danh's 12 companies....