How did Ms. Truong My Lan illegally transfer more than 4.5 billion USD across the border?

At the conclusion of phase 2 investigation of the case that occurred at Van Thinh Phat Group Joint Stock Company, SCB Bank and related units, based on the provisions of Article 324 of the 2015 Penal Code, Resolution No. 03/2019/NQ-HDTP, the Police Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security proposed to prosecute Ms. Truong My Lan (Chairman of Van Thinh Phat Group) for Mone.y Laundering and Illegally Transporting Currency across the Border.

Accordingly, regarding the act of illegally transporting 106 trillion VND across the border, from the investigation results and collected evidence documents, from October 27, 2012 to October 7, 2022, there were 21 cases. Van Thinh Phat ecosystem company carried out 78 mone.y transfer transactions abroad against the law with a total amount of 1.5 billion USD and received mone.y from abroad transferred illegally with 152 mone.y transactions. more than 3 billion USD.

The investigation agency of the Ministry of Public Security determined that the total amount of mone.y Truong My Lan and her accomplices illegally transported currency across the border was more than 4.5 billion USD (equivalent to more than 106,730 billion VND, transferred more than 1.5 billion VND). USD and received more than 3 billion USD).

The investigation agency identified Truong My Lan as the mastermind and leader of the act of "laundering" more than 445,747 billion VND and illegally transporting more than 4.5 billion USD.

The conclusion clearly shows that, under the direction of Ms. Lan, subjects of Van Thinh Phat Group colluded with SCB Bank employees to transfer mone.y internationally, through making false purchase and transfer invoices. shares, capital contributions, loan contracts between companies in Vietnam and companies abroad.

These contracts are all false contracts to legally transfer mone.y abroad and receive mone.y from abroad to Vietnam; Legal entities transferring mone.y and receiving mone.y from "ghost companies" belonging to Van Thinh Phat Group.

Worth mentioning, even though the procedures for transferring mone.y abroad are not qualified, lack of certificates, documents..., the competent authorities still approve the unlocking on the system to complete the mone.y transfer. international.

Accordingly, in addition to Truong My Lan, the defendants are Truong Khanh Hoang, former acting General Director of SCB; Tran Thi My Dung, former Deputy General Director of SCB; Vo Tan Hoang Van, former General Director of SCB, Bui Anh Dung, former Chairman of SCB... were also proposed to be prosecuted for different crimes of Mone.y Laundering and Illegally Transporting Currency across Borders.

Currently, the investigation agency has seized more than 224.3 billion VND; Blocked 79 accounts of the defendants with an amount of more than 92.2 billion VND and 1,653.63 USD. At the same time, blocking transactions in 205 payment accounts, savings books, and securities accounts of the defendants, related people, and related legal entities with an amount of more than 824 billion VND and 261,914.93 USD.

In addition, assets were distrained and transactions were prevented for shares and capital contributions related to the defendants and related individuals with a total converted value of more than 12,313 billion VND.

According to Ms. Truong My Lan's testimon.y, mone.y transferred from abroad to Vietnam is loan mone.y, while mone.y transferred abroad is debt repayment.

According to regulations, the Anti-Money Laundering Department under the State Bank Supervision and Inspection Agency has the role of receiving information and reports from organizations in accordance with the law on mone.y laundering prevention and combat and other information. suspected of mone.y laundering...

After receiving, the Department of Anti-Money Laundering is responsible for analyzing and processing reports and information suspected to be related to mone.y laundering or other crimes related to mone.y laundering according to the provisions of law.

According to the investigation conclusion, from 2012 to 2022, SCB Bank reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Department: 3,160 files reporting electronic mone.y transfer transactions (transactions of 1,000 USD or more or in other foreign currencies with high value). equivalent value) in electronic form with 313,705 outgoing and received transactions. In addition, there were 151 suspicious transaction reports.

For 313,700 electronic mone.y transfer transactions, based on regulations, the basis to determine electronic mone.y transfer transactions related to mone.y laundering activities are transactions related to organizations and individuals on the "list of mone.y laundering activities". black"; is the subject of investigation, prosecution, and trial by the competent authorities of Vietnam and of countries and territories around the world; is on the warning list of the State Bank of Vietnam and of countries and territories around the world...

The investigation conclusion states that, before the prosecution of the case on October 7, 2022, there were 85 companies of Van Thinh Phat Group transferring mone.y abroad and 63 companies of this group receiving mone.y from abroad. Vietnam does not belong to the above mentioned subjects.

Therefore, the Department has no basis to determine that among the more than 313,700 electronic mone.y transfer transactions, there are transactions related to mone.y laundering and mone.y transportation activities of companies belonging to Van Thinh Phat Group.

With 151 suspicious transaction reports sent by SCB Bank, there is no list of companies under Van Thinh Phat transferring or receiving mone.y, so the Anti-Money Laundering Department has no basis to analyze or suspect. .

Another functional agency, the Foreign Exchange Management Department (State Bank), does not have the function of checking and inspecting foreign exchange activities of individuals and organizations in general as well as remittance activities abroad. abroad and receive mone.y back to Vietnam in particular.

The Department of External Affairs Management only compiles and monitors data on the basis of aggregated reporting data from banks without specific transaction data for each specific organization or individual. In the process of monitoring aggregate data provided by SCB Bank, the Foreign Exchange Management Department has no basis to detect abnormalities in transferring and receiving foreign mone.y.

Therefore, the investigation agency believes that there is no basis to consider the responsibility of the Anti-Money Laundering Department and the Foreign Exchange Management Department in the violations of regulations by subjects and companies belonging to Van Thinh Phat and SCB Bank. about international mone.y transfers.

Truong My Lan hired 23 companies to transport 106 trillion VND abroad. Thảo Mai22:28:36 12/08/2024The investigation agency determined that 23 domestic and foreign companies received mone.y transfers from abroad and brought back to Vietnam more than 106,000 billion VND for Ms. Truong My Lan, chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Group.