Saturday, May 19, 2012

Vietnam arrests shipping executives in scandal

 AP

HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnamese police have arrested two senior executives at a major state-owned shipping company and issued a warrant for its chief for alleged mismanagement in another high-profile scandal, state media reported.

Police on Friday searched the house and office of Duong Chi Dung, former chairman of Vietnam National Shipping Lines, or Vinalines, but did not find him, the Laborer newspaper said Saturday. State media had reported earlier that he had been arrested.

Two other company executives were taken into custody. They are accused of causing huge losses to the state after purchasing old ships and making poor investments.

Dung was promoted in February to head the government's Maritime Department.

The arrests come more than a month after nine senior executives of another major state-owned company, the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industrial Group, or Vinashin, were given lengthy jail sentences following a scandal that resulted in the lowering of Vietnam's credit rating.

No comments: