Japanese media on Wednesday reported that the country’s police had arrested a female flight attendant for getting involved with an alleged smuggling case.
Ngoc was suspected to have carried 21 items of stolen clothing worth 125,000 yen on the bus carrying the aircrew from a hotel in Osaka to Kansai International Airport last September. But police said Ngoc denied the charges.
Her attempt to smuggle the stolen clothing followed the request of a 30-year-old Vietnamese female residing in Japan who was prosecuted for buying stolen goods.
Ngoc was also alleged that she had taken stolen goods worth 3 million yen totally onto airplanes and received money transferred from June last year as compensation for her.
Tokyo Police Department said they suspected around 20 VNA’s employees involved in the case and had asked five of the staff to show themselves at the police office, but the five people, including a copilot and four cabin attendants, are currently not available in Japan.
It is reported that the police in Fukuoka Prefecture arrested five groups of Vietnamese thieves in February.
In 2009, Japanese police arrested Dang Xuan Hop, a VNA pilot, on the same charge, and kept him in custody for a few months before dropping all the charges against him. But VNA still suspended him from flying for one year.
VNA, Vietnam police to join investigation
In a press release on Wednesday night, VNA said VNA representatives in Japan had held a meeting with the Tokyo police agency in its Tokyo office to provide necessary information and documentation to support the investigation.
On late Wednesday afternoon, a deputy general manager of VNA also had a meeting with A85, a local police agency under the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security, for cooperation in the investigation.
According to Le Truong Giang, VNA spokesman, after receiving the news that the hostesses Nguyen Bich Ngoc are kept in custody for investigation, VNA branch in Japan immediately contacted Japanese police agency for information and cooperation, but did not receive any official information from the Japanese investigating agency.
According to Giang, from February 27, immediately after the Japanese media published news of a VNA crew member who was suspected of smuggling stolen goods originated in Japan, VNA leaders already asked its branch in Japan to proactively contact Tokyo police authorities that are handling the case to clarify the information.
VNA also contacted the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan and the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate in the investigation but has not been provided with full official papers as stated by the press.
“VNA is determined to clarify and strictly punish any individual or staff member taking advantages of their positions in VNA to perform any illegal acts.”
VNA last Monday said no aircrew are allowed to use large-sized suitcases while they are on duty on international flights anymore due to a directive apparently intended to improve the carrier’s reputation following the recently discovered smuggling cases involving its flight attendants.
VNA said it would actively cooperate with the investigating agency and strictly handle violations according to law and to provide accurate and timely information based on authentic sources.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
