Vietnamese state inspector prosecuted for bribery

The People's Supreme Procuracy of Vietnam has recently prosecuted deputy director of the Economic Inspection Department No. 2 under the State Inspectorate, Luong Cao Khai, for bribery receiving.

Khai, also the deputy head of a government inspection team to inspect a liquefied petroleum gas warehouse project in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province, was earlier prosecuted for "taking advantage of position and power while conducting official duty" after finding his involvement in the biggest wrongdoing case in the country's oil and gas industry.

Initial investigation results showed that Khai and two other deputies of the department, Duong Van Luc and Bui Xuan Bay, received bribes of some 34,600 U.S. dollars, said local media recently.

The procuracy is also expected to prosecute Luc and Bay for bribery instead of "taking advantage of position and power while conducting official duty" as currently, said the newspaper.

In the 2001-2003 period, the three men were in charge of inspecting mismanagement of officials from some enterprises, affiliated to the state-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, in constructing some petroleum works, which led to losses of state money. They drafted inspection results, suggesting some corporate officials in charge of the works be held criminally responsible. However, in their official report, they no longer proposed that.

Local police detained Bay in February on the charge of "taking advantage of position and power while conducting official duty." In 2005, Khai and Luc were arrested for the same charge.

Crude oil is now Vietnam's biggest hard currency earner, fetching the country nearly 5.8 billion dollars in the first eight months of this year. It exported nearly 18.1 million tons of the product valued at roughly 7.4 billion dollars last year.

Source: Xinhua