Senior Vietnamese public security official arrested on gambling charges

Nguyen Thanh Hoa, a senior official of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), has been arrested on the charge of organising gambling activities as part of a major case involving many police officers.

Nguyen Thanh Hoa is accused of organising gambling activities.
Nguyen Thanh Hoa is accused of organising gambling activities.

Hoa, aged 60 and former director of the MPS’s department for hi-tech crimes, will be detained for four months during the investigation.

Prior to his arrest on March 11, Hoa had been stripped of his status as a public security officer and rank of major general under a decision signed by President Tran Dai Quang.

The former police officer faces legal proceedings for his involvement in a criminal case of using internet to appropriate assets, organise gambling activities, gamble, as well as illegal invoice trading and money laundering.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh said earlier on January 29, the police had confiscated more than VND1 trillion (US$44 million) during the crackdown.

The case has received a great deal of public attention and direct instructions of the Secretariat.

The Party body found that this is a large-scale, complex and serious case that employed advanced technologies and involved many people, sectors and members of the public security force.

The Secretariat has ordered the MPS to continue conducting the investigation to clarify the responsibilities of those concerned and impose strict penalties on all law-breakers.