HCMC Customs officers are checking imported goods. (Photo: SGGP) Statistics reveal that in the first half of 2022, there were nearly 54,200 cases of law breaking related to smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods (a drop of 25 percent compared to this time last year). Functional agencies retrieved VND3,728 billion (US$159 million). Deputy Director of the Police Department for Corruption, Smuggling and Economic Crimes Vu Nhu Ha stated that smugglers now use legal entities for their crimes, especially with goods whose prices are fluctuating a great deal like fuel. Smuggling activities usually go along with money laundering, money transfers in large amounts across borders. The act of appropriating tax refunds has been detected lately, with the quantity coming to VND500 billion ($21.4 million). There has been a rise in smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods for various essential commodities on popular social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok. Deputy … [Read more...] about Smuggling, commercial fraud on social networks becoming more serious
Smuggling
Vietnam court sentences 7 to death for narcotic transportation
The People’s Court in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on Wednesday sentenced seven people to death for illegally transporting over 45 kilograms of narcotics in 2020. The death penalty was handed down to Le Duy Linh, Tran Van Thuc, Nguyen Minh Thiet, Huynh Van Ly, Le Van Thanh, Nguyen Van Thai, and Nguyen Trung Hieu. All were convicted of the illegal transportation of narcotics, though Linh was also found guilty of trading, possession of narcotics, and organization of illegal drug use. An eighth and ninth individual also present at the trial received a life sentence and 20-year sentence, respectively, for drug-related offenses. The indictment showed that police in Dong Thap caught Thai transporting 45.3 kilograms of narcotics, including over seven kilograms of heroin, ten kilograms of methamphetamine, 11.3 kilograms of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and nearly 17 kilograms of ketamine, at around 10:00 pm on August 15, 2020 to carry out a transaction in Ho Chi Minh … [Read more...] about Vietnam court sentences 7 to death for narcotic transportation
Trade remedies imposed on sugar imports from five ASEAN countries
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to impose trade remedies against sugar products imported from five ASEAN countries that use Thai sugarcane. — VNA/VNS Photo The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to apply measures to prevent evasion of trade remedies against sugar products imported from five ASEAN countries that use Thai sugar materials. It will impose an anti-dumping duty of 42.99 per cent and an anti-subsidy duty of 4.65 per cent on sugar coming from Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar. However, the imported products will not be subject to the anti-evasion measures if proven to be made from sugarcane harvested in these countries. The tariffs will take effect seven days after the issuance date of the decision (August 2) until June 15, 2026, unless the decision is superseded by new ones from the ministry. The decision followed an investigation by the ministry’s Trade Remedies Authority which concluded that Thai sugarcane products subject … [Read more...] about Trade remedies imposed on sugar imports from five ASEAN countries
In Vietnam, online vendors seek ways to avoid taxes
After Vietnam's tax authorities enhanced the collection of taxes from traders on digital platforms, including social networks and e-commerce sites, many traders are seeking ways to avoid paying them or pass the buck to buyers. Shopping on websites, e-commerce platforms, and social networks is a national trend. E-commerce has boomed in Vietnam with revenue of some US$13.7 billion in 2021. The figure is forecast to reach $39 billion by 2025. However, the tax revenue from this sector has not risen commensurately its growth. Multiple tricks to avoid taxes Minh Thu, living in Thu Duc City, a district-level city in Ho Chi Minh City, said after ordering a pair of shoes from an online trader on Facebook, she was surprised as the trader announced that from August 1, customers must make payments in advance and the trader will not offer the cash-on-delivery (COD) service as earlier. Money transfer descriptions must not include the words 'buy' or 'sell,' but Facebook or Zalo … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, online vendors seek ways to avoid taxes
US returns to Cambodia 30 antiquities looted from historic sites
The Southeast Asian country's archaeological sites -including Koh Ker, a capital of the ancient Khmer empire - suffered widespread looting in civil conflicts between the 1960s and 1990s. Cambodia's government has since sought to repatriate stolen antiquities sold on the international market. Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said the items being returned were sold to Western buyers by Douglas Latchford, a Bangkok dealer who created fake documents to conceal that the items had been looted and smuggled. Williams said the antiquities, including a 10th century sandstone statue depicting the Hindu god of war Skanda riding on a peacock, were voluntarily relinquished by U.S. museums and private collectors after his office filed civil forfeiture claims. "These statues and artifacts ... are of extraordinary cultural value to the Cambodian people," Williams said at a ceremony in Manhattan announcing the return of the antiquities. U.S. prosecutors in 2019 charged … [Read more...] about US returns to Cambodia 30 antiquities looted from historic sites