HANOI: Vietnamese police detained four people, including the deputy minister of agriculture and environment, on allegations of accepting bribes as part of an expanding investigation into corruption linked to durian exports to China.
Deputy minister Hoang Trung is accused of abusing his position by issuing illegal policies, including allegedly creating "sub-licences” to serve vested interests and generate "particularly large” illicit gains linked to durian exports, according to a statement on the Ministry of Public Security’s website. Nguyen Quang Hieu, deputy head of department of crop production and plant protection, was also accused of the same violations.
The alleged breaches caused "serious damage” to the legitimate rights and interests of durian growers and export businesses, resulting in "exceptionally” large losses to the state budget and "negatively” impacting the reputation of the entire Vietnamese agricultural sector, the statement said.
Two other agricultural ministry officials were also detained for allegedly falsifying official documents, police said. Trung was expelled from the Communist Party on Tuesday, according to state media.
The arrests mark the latest expansion in a probe centered on certification procedures for durian shipments to China involving the Center for Testing, Certification and Quality Services under the agriculture ministry, NhoNho Technology Co. and Thuy Fruit Co., according to the statement.
Last year, Vietnamese police detained eight people related to this investigation, according to news website VnExpress.
The Agriculture Ministry, NhoNho Technology Co. and Thuy Fruit Co. didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case comes as Vietnam seeks to preserve access to the Chinese market, its largest destination for durian exports, amid heightened scrutiny over export quality and phytosanitary compliance.
During 2021-2025 period, Vietnam exported more than three million tonnes of fresh durian and nearly 190,000 tones of frozen durian, of which China accounted for over 95% of the export volume. - Bloomberg
