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Tan Tan peanut brand founder Tran Duy Tan, 67, was sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh City Court of District 16 to a total of 3 years and 9 months in prison for failing to comply with court orders and for tax evasion. The court imposed 1 year and 3 months for failing to comply with court orders and 2 years and 6 months for tax evasion, for a combined term of 3 years and 9 months.
In the same case, Tan’s wife, Chau Ngoc Phung (55), and his brother, Tran Quoc Tuan (58), were each sentenced to 9 months in prison for failure to comply with court orders.
Tan Tan was described as a long-standing peanut processing enterprise with more than 140 distributors and about 40,000 retail points nationwide through supermarkets and shopping centers. The company accounted for roughly 80% of the domestic market and exported to markets including the United States, Australia, China, Japan, Russia, and Sweden.
According to the indictment, on July 5, 2011, Tan Tan signed an agreement transferring 3,666,666 shares to Nguyen Thi Thanh (62) of Ho Chi Minh City for 36.6 billion VND (about 10,000 VND per share). Thanh later received a certificate showing 45.83% ownership of the company.
After becoming a major shareholder, Thanh requested that the Board of Directors convene an extraordinary general meeting to elect a new board and to provide information on business operations and quarterly financial statements, which were not provided.
In November 2015, Thanh filed a lawsuit with Bình Dương Provincial Court. On September 27, 2018, the court ordered Tan Tan’s Board of Directors—comprising Tan and Tuấn—to convene an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting to elect a new board as required. The company, with Tan as legal representative, was also required to provide Thanh access to books, minutes, resolutions, and periodic financial statements.
After the judgment took effect, on June 14, 2019, the Bình Dương Civil Execution Office issued an enforcement decision. However, Tan, Phụng, and Tuấn did not comply despite having opportunities. By September 2020, the enforcement office filed a criminal action for non-compliance.
Investigators also alleged tax evasion connected to leasing activities. From July 2015 to November 2022, Tan Tan leased personal factory and warehouse space in Bình Dương Province (now part of Ho Chi Minh City) that also served as the company’s headquarters to multiple organizations.
During the leasing period, investigators said Tan Tan issued cash receipts only, did not issue VAT invoices, and did not declare or pay taxes as required, resulting in tax evasion.
Investigators stated that the alleged acts violated the proper operation of the enforcement agency and the state’s economic management, and therefore warranted strict penalties under the law.
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