More than two millions litres of adulterated petrol have been found at a number of petrol stations in the central province of Nghe An.
Nghe An Provincial Department of Sciences and Technology have found that 11 out of 12 petrol samples tested were substandard
Speaking with Dantri/DTiNews on October 23, chief inspector at the Nghe An Provincial Department of Sciences and Technology, Nguyen Manh Ha, said that they’ve just done a test on 12 A92 samples taken from 12 petrol companies in the area and found that 11 out of 12 samples were substandard.
“Some samples showed that the A92 petrol content was below 50%,” Ha said.
The low-quality petrol scam was uncovered in September when the department carried out an inspection at local petrol stations and found that 12 stations were selling substandard product.
On October 10, they co-operated with local police to catch red-handed employees of two companies, Thanh Ngu and Kien Luc offloading solvent-adulterated petrol from their trucks to fuel tanks in several petrol stations.
The owner of Thanh Ngu Company, Vu Thi Thanh, admitted that their A92 petrol had been mixed from 50 percent A92 and 50 percent solvent, plus some colouring.
The solvent and colouring powder used to produce petrol in Nghe An Province
Kien Luc Company also confessed it had bought solvents from the southern city of Can Tho and then resold some to several gas stations in Nghe An, while mixing the remaining with A92 petrol to sell to customers.
The company also said it had sold 160,000 litres of solvent to Thanh Ngu Company, another 40,000 and 200,000 litres to Ky Phuong station and Sau Hang station, respectively – all based in Dien Chau District.
According to the invoice of the Mekong gas company, under the state-owned Can Tho Petrolimex, the price for each litre of solvent is VND10,600 (USD0.46), but A92 petrol is nearly double the price, at VND18,000 per litre (USD0.79).
The fake petrol containers, colouring powder bottles, and all related documents have been confiscated. The employees of the two companies have also been suspended for further investigation which police said would involve more culprits.
A92 petrol is currently the most popular type used in Vietnam, however, the government is trying to replace it with more environmentally-friendly biofuels from next year.
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