A Vietnamese official in Ho Chi Minh City has denied rumor that the cash amount of over US$70,000 he had reported disappearing from his desk drawer came from corruption or a slush fund.
The official, Dao Anh Kiet, director of the city Department of Natural Resources and Environment, made the denial while talking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in an interview on Monday about his reported loss.
On Sunday, Kiet told police in District 1, where his department is located, that a total of VND1 billion (US$47,000) and $30,000 – all in cash – he had put in a drawer of his desk in his office disappeared without any trace.
He explained to police officers that the cash was his savings which had been accumulated for a long time.
The director also affirmed to Tuoi Tre that he had withdrawn the money from his bank accounts and brought them to his office, preparing to pay for an apartment he intended to buy for his son under an installment plan.
After putting the money into the drawer, Kiet locked it but forgot to take the key out of the lock socket, he said.
Kiet later looked for the key to open the drawer but he failed to find it, he said, adding that he had to hire a lock repairer to open the drawer and then found all the cash had gone.
He also said he has handed to police the videos shot by surveillance cameras installed in his working room.
“I find many of these images very suspicious,” he added.
‘My sweat and tears’
“I’m not afraid of reporting the loss to police. I have also reported the origin of the lost money to the department’s Party Committee and the Central Steering Board for Corruption Prevention and Control. I’m now saddened by the loss,” Kiet said.
Kiet said he had saved that amount for years and it was equivalent to half the price of the apartment he wanted to buy for his son when Tuoi Tre asked him about public opinion that many officials did not dare to report their loss of property to police and even denied the loss, if any.
“I don’t know what other officials have done. In my case, I have saved that amount for tens of years of work. It is equal to half the total value of the flat I intended to buy for my son. So I had to report the loss to police,” Kiet said.
When questioned about the origin of the amount in U.S. dollars, Kiet said, “There were times when the Vietnamese dong was devalued, so I changed my Vietnamese cash into U.S. dollars for saving.”
Tuoi Tre asked about his monthly salary and Kiet answered, “I have worked for the department for 37 years and I have saved money during that period.”
He added that the missing cash came from “my sweat and tears.”
“The lost money was not a kickback given by anyone. It did not come from corrupt acts, either,” he insisted.
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