yet another!
Vietnam Airlines pilot faces charges for smuggling gold
Police in Ho Chi Minh City have wrapped up investigation into a case involving an airline pilot and two others who attempted to smuggle around 1.5 kilograms of gold to Russia in 2006.
Investigations found Pham Minh Tuan, a pilot of Vietnam Airlines Corporation’s crew No. 919 who was arrested on November 10, was actual owner of the contraband gold, not his friend Dang To Hai from the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Investigators said Tuan had asked Hai to accept the responsibility and arranged the confessions for the people involved.
Police also handed documents to the HCMC Prosecution Office to press charges against Tuan, and two other employees of Vietnam Airlines Corporation, Le Trung Hieu and Nguyen Xuan Hao, for “smuggling goods and currencies.”
Hao had been caught red-handed at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat Airport in October 2006 carrying some 1.5 kilograms of gold jewelry hidden in a pilot’s headphones while he was about to board flight VN527 to Russia.
Hao was an employee of Vietnam Airlines’ A75 Airplane Enterprise which specializes in repairing and maintaining the carrier’s aircrafts.
Investigators said Hao had used his staff card to cross the tarmac as if he was working, though he was not on shift at the time.
Tuan had allegedly hired Hao and Hieu to smuggle the gold to Russia.
Hai, who’d had smuggling charges pressed against him in May, had spilt the beans on Tuan, saying he was the actual owner of the smuggled gold. Charges against Hai were dropped on December 5.
Reported by Dam Huy