Police in central Vietnam have opened criminal investigation against a public car driver after complaints said he abused the power of the car to extort bribes from truck drivers.

Nguyen Viet Hoang, who has been fired as driver of Nghe An Province’s transport department, faces charges for appropriating others’ properties, said officers from the neighboring Ha Tinh Province where the violation allegedly happened.

A senior Ha Tinh officer said Hoang had admitted to demanding payment from the drivers. His sincerity and good records save him from being taken into custody, police said.

Hoang was assigned to drive Nghe An’s transport officials to work.

But on December 19, he used the car to stop truck drivers in Ha Tinh, demanding to check their papers in an attempt to make them pay money in order to resume the journey.

Investigation found Hoang only managed to earn VND150,000 (around US$7) from the trick.