Vietnam opens corruption trial of 27 customs officers
A court in Vietnam has begun hearing the trial of 27 customs officers accused of corruption.
The officers are accused of extorting money from traders taking goods across Vietnam's northern border with China.
Among the defendants are Be Ngoc Trinh, customs chief in the northeastern province of Lang Son, charged with dereliction of duty for ignoring the activities of his staff at the Tan Thanh border checkpoint.
Prosecutors allege the 26 customs officers at Tan Thanh, one of Vietnam's biggest border crossings with China, took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from traders over a two-year period.
The extortions were discovered in June 2001.
Corruption is a major source of discontent among Vietnamese and also a common complaint of foreign investors.
ABC Radio Australia News - February 07, 2004.
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