(Bloomberg) -- A former Vietnam deputy trade minister and an ex-provincial party chief are facing bribery charges tied to an oil company in a Ho Chi Minh City trial that began Wednesday, part of an ongoing drive to root out corruption in the Southeast Asian communist country.
The case centers around Mai Thi Hong Hanh, former director and chairwoman of Xuyen Viet Oil, who is charged with violating management regulations and misuse of state assets leading to a loss of 1.46 trillion dong ($57.5 million), according to government websites. She and her accomplices are accused of offering officials bribes worth $1.3 million to overlook violations related to the petroleum price stabilization fund and secure preferential treatment in obtaining licenses and purchasing goods.
In all, 15 people are involved in the case. Representatives of defendants were not immediately available for comment.
The former Ben Tre province party chief Le Duc Tho is accused of taking bribes and using his power to influence others for personal gain. It’s alleged that Tho received as much as $1.1 million in money and gifts from Hanh. Do Thang Hai, a former industry and trade deputy minister, is charged with receiving $50,000 in bribes.
The trial takes place as real estate tycoon Truong My Lan appeals the death sentence handed down to her in April for embezzling $12.3 billion in the largest fraud case Vietnam has ever seen. She’s the highest profile target so far in the Communist Party’s yearslong anti-graft crackdown, which has ensnared hundreds of officials and business executives.
Also on trial in the Xuyen Viet Oil case are three former trade ministry officials, an ex-deputy head of the finance ministry’s price management department and a former head of the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department, Phap Luat newspaper reported. The trial at the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court is expected to last until December 5.
--With assistance from Linh Vu Nguyen.
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