Corporate Fraud: When the Director and His Secretary Cross the Line
- bigVUN
- Oct 23
- 2 min read
Workplace Relationships: When the Line Between Affection and Duty Blurs
The case happened at Sanyo Vietnam Co., Ltd. At first glance, it seemed minor — until the truth surfaced: over 7.6 million USD had been misappropriated back in 2009.
The Japanese director and his trusted secretary not only managed the company together but also shared a personal relationship that went far beyond the professional boundary.
That closeness destroyed every layer of internal control, creating the perfect environment for internal corporate fraud to thrive.
Everyone Knew… But No One Spoke Up
Early warning signs were there: unusual expenses, missing documents, suspicious transactions.Some employees, especially those close to the secretary, brushed it off — “It’s a foreign company, they have plenty of money.”A few saw what was wrong, yet chose silence — out of fear: fear of retaliation, fear of losing their job, and most of all, fear that no one would believe them.
When power is concentrated in one person — and that person shares a “special” relationship with the one managing the money — any control process becomes just a piece of paper.
By the time the fraud was exposed, the money was gone.
The director received a life sentence, and the secretary 12 years in prison.
A painful lesson on how internal corporate fraud can silently destroy a company from within.
When No One Speaks Up, the Numbers Will
I’ve seen many companies fall into the same trap:Everyone senses something is wrong, yet no one dares to speak — until it’s too late.
The Sanyo case is just one of many examples showing that a company’s biggest risk doesn’t come from the outside — it grows quietly inside.
That’s why bigVUN exists —
to help businesses build independent control systems, detect irregularities early, and protect their integrity.
Contact bigVUN – to keep your organization clean, transparent, and sustainable.
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