The Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy has completed its indictment against Tam, the former chairman of Asanzo's board of directors. The case has been transferred to the court for prosecution on charges of smuggling and tax evasion.
Pham Xuan Tinh, Asanzo's general director and Tam's brother, is also being prosecuted for tax evasion.
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Pham Van Tam, former chairman of Asanzo. |
Asanzo was first registered in 2016 with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment, with Tam as director and legal representative. In 2017, Tinh became director, while Tam remained as chairman, overseeing all company operations.
Between August and October 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department (now Tax Sub-department Region II) inspected the company's tax compliance since its establishment. The tax inspection concluded that Asanzo purchased components from Tran Thoan Company and contracted VTB Company for partial assembly.
Asanzo assembled finished air conditioners bearing the Asanzo label and packaging, then sold them to Asanzo Refrigeration Company without issuing invoices or declaring taxes. The company omitted these sales from its accounting records and used illegal value-added tax (VAT) invoices for input accounting, declaring its operations as solely commercial.
Tran Thoan Company issued VAT invoices (for finished products) directly to Asanzo Refrigeration Company. On 30/10/2019, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department transferred the administrative violation case file, showing signs of criminal activity, to the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department for further investigation.
A tax assessment concluded that from 2017 to Q2 2019, Asanzo evaded two types of taxes, totaling over 15.7 billion VND. This included over 4.1 billion VND in VAT and over 11.5 billion VND in special consumption tax.
By 24/3/2020, Asanzo had paid 15.8 billion VND to rectify the tax evasion.
In addition to tax evasion, Tam is also accused of using Sa Huynh Company, directed by Truong Ngoc Liem, to smuggle 1,300 glass ovens from China into Vietnam.
On 5/9/2018, Sa Huynh Company filed an import declaration at Phuoc Long 3 ICD Port (Ho Chi Minh City), declaring the goods as separate components such as plastic lids, glass bowls, handles, and timers, with a total value of 212 million VND.
However, inspection revealed 1,300 complete, brand-new Asanzo ovens, disassembled to bypass customs. As the imported goods required state quality inspection before clearance, which the company failed to perform, customs refused clearance and transferred the case to the investigative authority.
An appraisal confirmed the goods were new and could be assembled into functional household ovens. The valuation council determined the shipment's value to be over 414 million VND. However, Tam denies ordering Liem or participating in the smuggling.
Liem was tried by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court in February 2024 for his involvement in this smuggling operation.
Hai Duyen
