Phan Văn Vĩnh, former Lieutenant General and former Director General of the Police General Department  has been taken into custody on charges of “abusing position and power while performing duties” in activities relating to a major online gambling ring. — Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — Phan Văn Vĩnh, former Lieutenant General and former Director General of the Police General Department under the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS), has been taken into custody on charges of “abusing position and power while performing duties” in activities relating to a major online gambling ring. 

In an official announcement of the MoPS yesterday, the Investigation Security Agency under the Department of Public Security of Phú Thọ Province issued a decision to start criminal proceedings against him. They also issued an arrest warrant for a four-month detention of the 63-year-old Phan Văn Vĩnh, who has been living in Nam Định Province following retirement last year.

He is accused of “using the internet to appropriate assets, organise gambling, gamble, illegally trade invoices and launder money” in Phú Thọ and some other localities.

President Trần Đại Quang yesterday also signed a decision to strip Vĩnh of the title People’s Public Security Officer. 

On March 11, Phú Thọ police launched issued an arrest warrant for Nguyễn Thanh Hóa, former Major General and former Director of the MoPS’ Police Department for Hi-tech Crime Prevention, who is accused of “organising gambling” relating to this case. 

Police recently announced that the 39-year-old Phan Sào Nam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of the VTC Online Telecommunications Company, and Nguyễn Văn Dương, 43, Chairman of the Member Council of the Hi-tech Security Development and Investment Company, are accused of masterminding the online gambling ring.

As of March 14, the police had initiated probes against 83 people who were allegedly involved in the ring. Among them, 41 were accused of organising gambling, 38 for gambling, four for illegally trading invoices, two for money laundering and one using the internet to appropriate assets. 

The probe initially found that the money paid via legal and illegal payment gateways exceeded VNĐ9.58 trillion (US$425.7 million). More than VNĐ9.29 trillion, or 97 per cent of the total, was transferred via pre-paid telecom cards and game cards. About VNĐ168 billion was sent from bank accounts. — VNS