A chief inspector at the tax department in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh has been arrested for accepting bribes from a local firm.

Ho Minh Khiem, 53, who is the chief inspector under the Binh Dinh Department of Taxation, will be held in custody for four months to facilitate a probe into his case, an official from the provincial Department of Police affirmed on Saturday morning.

Khiem was caught red-handed receiving cash from a representative of a business based in Quy Nhon City, the capital of Binh Dinh, on October 1.

Preliminary investigations showed that Khiem had discovered several violations relating to taxes committed by the company following an inspection.

The official then demanded that the managers of the firm pay him some money; otherwise, they would be severely punished for the offenses.

Both sides negotiated and agreed that the business would only need to pay VND70 million (US$3,073) as fines for some minor violations.

But the company would also have to hand Khiem some VND130 million ($5,707).

After the deal was made, Khiem on several occasions contacted the leaders of the firm and urged them to complete their payment.

Feeling harassed, the business leaders decided to report the case to local police officers.

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