A Vietnamese male non-resident worker (NRW) has been arrested for exploiting at least 18 Vietnamese compatriots through predatory lending, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said yesterday during a special press conference.
The 35-year-old suspect surnamed Tran is a worker.
According to Chong, a local Vietnamese woman reported to the police in January that she had borrowed 50,000 patacas from the suspect in 2023, under the condition that she had to pay monthly “interest” of 5,000 to 7,000 patacas until the principal was fully settled. Tran withheld her passport and had her sign a “loan agreement”.
After the victim had repaid over 50,000 patacas in “interest”, the loan shark told her that she had still not started repaying the principal, and he refused to return her passport. Faced with her inability to settle the debt, she decided to report the case to the police.
The police suspect that the suspects usurious lending had been going on since last year, with over 100,000 patacas loaned to at least 18 Vietnamese so far.
Under questioning, Tran declined to reveal how much he had earned from his predatory lending.
Tran was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing usury charges, according to Chong.
Evidence including passports and ATM cards is displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Zape.
– Photo: William Chan
