On 19/8, Si, 36, former accountant of My Tho City's Department of Internal Affairs, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Dong Thap People's Court for embezzlement.

The former head of the Department of Internal Affairs, Le Van Dang, 58, received a three-year sentence for negligence causing serious consequences. In court, Si admitted his guilt and apologized for implicating his former manager.

Nguyen Tan Si at the trial. Photo: Nam An

Nguyen Tan Si at the trial. Photo: Nam An

The court deemed Si's actions severe, involving significant sums of public funds embezzled repeatedly over an extended period. This warranted a lengthy prison sentence as a deterrent. During the investigation, Si's family repaid over 860 million VND in partial restitution.

According to the indictment, in 2018, Dang, then deputy head of the department, was authorized by the head to manage financial matters and sign all accounting documents. By 2022, Dang was promoted to head of the department and entrusted with the digital signature but failed to secure and manage it properly.

Exploiting this lax security and needing money, Si devised a plan to use his manager's digital signature for embezzlement. He accessed the State Treasury's public service portal, logged into his accounting account, created false documents, and used his own USB token to sign them. Then, he logged into Dang's account, used Dang's USB token, entered the password, and approved the documents for transfer to the treasury.

To withdraw the funds, Si contacted two acquaintances, falsely claiming to be involved in a "business venture," and asked to borrow their bank accounts for the treasury transfers. They would then withdraw the money and give it to Si.

Specifically, in 2021, Si created 20 false payment documents, embezzling nearly 800 million VND. In 2022, he created 40 more documents, embezzling over 1.7 billion VND. In 2023, he created 76 documents, embezzling over 1.2 billion VND. Over the three years, he created 136 false documents and embezzled over 3.7 billion VND of public funds without the management's knowledge.

The court determined that while Si's acquaintances allowed their accounts to be used and withdrew the money, they were unaware of the illicit source of the funds and therefore not considered accomplices.

Nam An