Son La provincial police announced on 31/12 that the investigative police agency has initiated criminal proceedings and temporarily detained Lo Minh Phuong, 34, to investigate the charge of "fraudulent appropriation of property" under clause 4, article 174 of the Penal Code.

Lo Minh Phuong at the investigative agency. Photo: Police provided

According to police, Phuong was formerly an individual customer relations employee at SHB Bank's Son La branch. During his employment, he was entrusted with managing customer loan files. Exploiting this position, he devised a scheme to embezzle money through bank loans.

Specifically, on 15/6 and 21/6 of 2023, Phuong exploited borrowers' lack of understanding regarding disbursement procedures. He instructed them to sign blank loan documents. Subsequently, he unilaterally completed the loan applications, requested disbursement, and transferred the funds into dummy accounts provided by the borrowers. Through this method, Phuong successfully embezzled 600 million dong for his personal expenses.