On 19/5, Lai Chau provincial police announced that the Criminal Investigation Agency had prosecuted Nguyen Xuan Truong, 31 years old, manager of Petrolimex store number 29 in Muong Khoa commune, on charges of embezzlement of assets.
Store number 29 operates under Petrolimex Lai Chau Co., Ltd., where Truong served as manager. Police are also investigating Truong's actions related to producing and trading substandard DO 0,001S-V diesel.
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Lai Chau provincial police provide information about the special case. Photo: Provided by police.
The investigation began on 6/5 after a resident in Lai Chau province purchased about 50 liters of diesel from Petrolimex store number 29 for two family excavators. Following its use, both machines were damaged, the fuel emitted a gasoline odor, and showed abnormal combustion, leading the resident to report the incident to the police.
Upon investigation, police confirmed the resident had purchased about 600 liters of diesel from store number 29. It was discovered that during a fuel delivery, the tanker driver and store manager Truong accidentally pumped over 500 liters of RON95-III gasoline into the DO 0,001S-V diesel storage tank.
After discovering the error, Truong did not follow proper procedures for handling substandard fuel. Instead, he ordered nearly 10,000 additional liters of DO diesel to dilute the contaminated mixture. From 27/3 to 8/5, the store then sold over 12,500 liters of this substandard diesel to the market, generating approximately 369 million VND.
Inspection results from the Center for Technical Standards, Metrology, and Quality 1 confirmed that diesel samples from both the storage tank and the two damaged excavators failed to meet Diesel level 5 standards, clearly indicating gasoline contamination.
Furthermore, Truong faces accusations of intentionally withholding 220 liters of diesel from the storage tank, hiding it in a barrel. He also reportedly disabled surveillance cameras to conceal his actions, later selling the hidden diesel for over 6.2 million VND for personal gain.
