The Investigation Police Department under the Public Security Ministryon July 17 arrested and launched criminal proceeding against two formerexecutives of the Global Petroleum Joint Stock Commercial Bank (GPBank), Ta Ba Long and Doan Van An.

Both Long, born in1955, former Chairman of GP Bank’s Board of Director, and An, born in1958, Vice Chairman of the board, were charged with “deliberately actingagainst the State’s regulations on economic management, causing seriousconsequences” as stated in Article 165 of the Penal Code.

Earlier in May this year, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) suspended the rights and obligations of Long and An.

Meanwhile, the police also revealed the investigation results on thecase of “deliberately acting against the State’s regulations on economicmanagement, causing serious consequences; violating State’s regulationson lending in the operation of credit organisations; and neglecting ofresponsibility, causing serious consequences” at the VietnamConstruction Bank (VNCB).

The police affirmed thereis sufficient evidence to prove that from December 2012 to March 2014,Pham Cong Danh, Chairman of VNCB Board of Directors, Chairman of MemberBoard and General Director of Thien Thanh Group, directed his staff towithdraw over 18.41 trillion VND (roughly 876 million USD) from VNCB forhis private use.

The police have commenced legalproceeding against 21 defendants, including two former officials of theSBV. They are Ha Tan Phuoc, former Deputy Director of the SBV branch inLong An province, and Le Van Thanh, former chief inspector of the SBVbranch in Long An.

Both Phuoc and Thanh were chargedwith “negligence of responsibility causing serious consequences” inaccordance with Article 285 of the Penal Code.-VNA