Female director arrested for impersonating journalist to protect trucks

On January 8, information from the Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Province Police said that the unit had arrested Nguyen Kim Tien, Director of Kim Tien Trading and Service Joint Stock Company and Director of Kim Tien Dai Phat Agricultural Cooperative - to clarify the act of taking advantage of the press to protect trucks.

According to the case file, since 2020, Ms. Tien has informed vehicle owners in the area that she is a reporter and journalist with many relationships with authorities, especially the traffic police force, and can influence and intervene to ask the traffic police force to forgive violations of vehicles.

To be "protected" by Ms. Tien, vehicle owners must pay a monthly fee of 10 million VND/vehicle.

In order to conceal her crime, Ms. Tien established a company to legalize the amount of money that vehicle owners had to pay monthly.

Since 2020, more than 70 vehicles have paid monthly to Ms. Tien to have the Kim Tien Company logo affixed.

Searching Ms. Tien's house and farm, the police seized 7 reporter introduction letters from magazines, a collaborator card, a journalism certificate in the name of Nguyen Kim Tien and many other related evidences.

The investigation agency has detained 30 vehicles and is continuing to verify and seize the remaining vehicles.

Initial determination is that from 2020 to present, Ms. Tien has taken advantage of the press to collect more than 5 billion VND from various means.

According to the Department of Information and Communications of Nghe An, Ms. Tien is not on the list of journalists and reporters registered to work at press agencies located in Nghe An.

Previously, in November 2023, Ha Tinh Provincial Police also initiated a case and prosecuted three defendants to clarify the case of taking advantage of the press to receive protection for trucks.