Consignment owned by Vietnamese diplomat at UN held over alleged tax evasion

January 30, 2016 | 11:18

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A consignment containing a number of goods brought home from the U.S. by a Vietnamese diplomat is being held for investigation as he is suspected of dodging taxes for the products.

The diplomat, who has finished his tenure in Vietnam’s standing delegation at the United Nations, has returned home with a container delivered through the Tan Vu Port in the northern city of Hai Phong on January 11.

The man declared that the consignment contained his ‘moving assets,’ which are non-traded items imported from diplomatic channels, and therefore should be exempted from import duties.

However, the customs department in Hai Phong has found that there are in fact many products and items inside the consignment which the diplomat did not mention in his customs declaration.

The goods include more than 100 boxes of foreign wines and whisky, consisting of a total of around 500 bottles, a 1,700cc Harley Davidson, and a number of supplementary foods and milk products, according to the customs department.

The products, which have all been shipped from New York, must clear customs and pay taxes as per the current law, according to a Hai Phong customs official.

The Hai Phong customs said on Friday it is collaborating with relevant agencies to clarify the alleged tax evasion of the case.

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