Viet A Bank’s customers seek help as deposits reportedly evaporate
Viet A Bank’s customers seek help as deposits reportedly evaporate
Two customers of Viet A Bank in Hanoi have sought help as they are unable to withdraw their savings of VND170 billion (US$7.3 million) from the Dong Do transaction office of the bank, the local media reported.
The two customers, Trieu Thi Tuyet Trinh and Trieu Hung Cuong, said they had made six term deposits at the bank under six separate contracts. Three contracts are valued at VND30 billion each, while another contract is worth VND35 billion, one is worth VND25 billion and the last one is worth VND20 billion.
These deposits were made on October 9 last year with a term of three months and annual interest rate of 5.5%.
All the contracts were signed by the director of the Dong Do transaction office of Viet A Bank and bear the seal of the bank.
However, on December 8 last year, Trinh and Cuong visited the Dong Do transaction office to withdraw money but were told that their money had been withdrawn.
They then met with Nguyen Thanh Tung, an executive of the bank, and Nguyen Toan Thang, head of the Dong Do transaction office, to ask for solutions, but their efforts were in vain.
They later petitioned to meet the bank’s chairman and general director but could not get an appointment.
Meanwhile, a representative of Viet A Bank told the local media that the two customers were related to Nguyen Thi Ha Thanh, who was charged with swindling hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong from the bank. Further, they had failed to show legal documents for the deposits.
The bank has no data on their deposits as well, the bank representative said.
Under the prevailing regulations, the bank signs deposit contracts with organizations and enterprises only. As for individual clients, the bank offers savings books, certificates of deposit and other documents that prove the clients have made deposits.
Viet A Bank is coordinating with the investigative police agency of Hanoi City to clarify the details of the case.
