The National Election Council has decided to withdraw the National Assembly deputy title of former Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Province People's Committee Trinh Xuan Thanh for his fake car plate scam.

According to Chief of the council Nguyen Hanh Phuc, all of members of the council who joined a secrete vote for Thanh's case on July 15 agreed to remove him from being a National Assembly deputy.

Trinh Xuan Thanh, who was elected as a National Assembly deputy of Hau Giang Province on May 22 this year, was found to be using a government blue plate for his luxury VND5.7 billion (USD255,189) Lexus LX570.

Trinh Xuan Thanh and his Lexus 570

In Vietnam, blue plates are only granted to cars used by government officials, and the Lexus 570 that Thanh was driving far exceeds the limit of VND920 million set for vehicles allocated to provincial officials.

Thanh explained that he borrowed the car from a relative in Hanoi and brought it to Hau Giang for his personal use after becoming deputy chairman of the southern province for the 2011-16 term.

“At that time the province couldn’t afford a car for me,” Thanh said, claiming provincial leaders had allowed him to use the blue plate.

Before being assigned to his position in Hau Giang, Trinh Xuan Thanh was the chairman of PVC from 2007 to 2013. In 2012, the company reported surprise losses of VND293 billion (USD14 million). By the end of 2013, the company had a total loss of VND3.2 trillion.

After that Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged PetroVietnam to invest the causes of PVC and deal with the individuals involved and determine who was responsible. However, the file has yet to close on the investigation.

Between September 2013 and April 2015, Thanh was assigned to key positions at the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s office by former Minister Vu Huy Hoang. In May 2015, he became the vice chairman of Hau Giang Province People’s Committee.

Speaking with DtiNews, Lieutenant-general Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, a former National Assembly deputy, raised his doubts about Thanh’s appointment. “It is unreasonable that Mr. Thanh was assigned to take important positions at the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s office after being chairman of loss-making firm. Then after that, he became Hau Giang Province leader and then a National Assembly Deputy.”