Trần Bắc Hà, former chairman of the State-owned Bank for Investment and Development of Việt Nam (BIDV). — Photo courtesy of BIDV

HÀ NỘI — The former head of one of Việt Nam's biggest listed banks died in military custody on Thursday morning.

Trần Bắc Hà, former chairman of the State-owned Bank for Investment and Development of Việt Nam (BIDV), was accused of violating banking regulations and had been detained since November.

Sources told the online newspaper vietnamnet.vn that the 63-year-old died of liver cancer. He was given medical treatment while in custody at a military detention centre in Hà Nội’s Sóc Sơn District.

In recent days, his health deteriorated and he was taken to 105 Military Hospital in Sơn Tây Town for emergency treatment on Thursday morning, but he died before being hospitalised.

Hà’s body has been transferred to a funeral house. Police will carry out forensic tests to clarify the cause of his death.

Last November, the Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Police Agency detained Hà and searched his house for alleged violations of banking regulations at BIDV.

Trần Lục Lang, former director-general of BIDV, Kiều Đình Hòa, former director of the bank’s branch in central Hà Tĩnh Province and Lê Thị Vân Anh, former head of corporate clients of the Hà Tĩnh’s branch have also also been charged.

Lang and Hoà are being held in custody, while Vân Anh is under house arrest.

The four were alleged to have made an arbitrary decision to approve loans of VNĐ4.7 trillion (US$210.7 million) to 12 ghost companies involved in a corruption case at the Vietnam Construction Bank before the State Bank of Việt Nam took it over.

According to the State Bank of Việt Nam, this resulted in a loss of VNĐ2.5 trillion ($107.5 million) for the Vietnam Construction Bank.

The agency is conducting an investigation and reclaiming assets in line with the law. 

Hà worked at BIDV for 35 years and retired in September 2016. He was expelled from the Communist Party in June 2018.

At the 26th session of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, the commission concluded Hà held the main responsibility for the wrongdoings and shortcomings of the BIDV Party Committee’s standing board for the 2010-15 and 2015-20 tenures. — VNS