Besides Chau, his son Vu Minh Tu - head of the independent assistant board, and two accounting staff of the company were also subject to legal proceedings for the violation.

According to the police, before 2024, Chau and Tu instructed the company’s accounting department to use the Hivi Gold and Hivi Gold Pro software and Excel to monitor actual business operations, while using the Misa accounting software for tax reporting.

Since the second half of 2024, to avoid inspection by authorities, Chau directed Tu and staff to delete all data on Hivi Gold and Hivi Gold Pro, and switch to using Excel combined with the Fox AI sales software.

According to data extracted from the Hivi software in the 2020-23 period, investigators initially determined that the company’s actual revenue was about VND13.7 trillion (US$520.19 million), a difference of about VND9.7 trillion against tax reporting, causing a loss of about VND150 billion to the State budget.

Founded by Chau in 1995, Bao Tin Minh Chau is one of the major gold brands in Hanoi. Currently, the brand has four business locations in Hanoi and over 200 dealers nationwide.

According to a report on the National Business Registration Portal, the company has a charter capital of VND400 billion as of January 26 this year, of which Chau holds over 97% of the shares.

Foreign national caught smuggling gold through Mong Cai border gate

VOV.VN - Authorities at Mong Cai International Border Gate, Quang Ninh province, have detained a foreign national for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 750 grams of gold into Vietnam while completing immigration procedures.