PHÚ THỌ — The northern Phú Thọ province Police’s Investigation Security Agency has ordered legal proceedings against some people for their alleged involvement in a case of online gambling, announced the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.

This is part of the ministry’s crackdown on using the internet to appropriate assets, organise gambling, gamble, illegally trade invoices and launder money in Phú Thọ province and some other provinces and cities.

According to the decision, Châu Nguyên Anh and Phạm Quang Minh will be prosecuted for organising gambling under Article 249 of the 1999 Penal Code and for illegally trading invoices under Article 203 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Anh is the CEO of VNPT ePAY, a leader in Việt Nam in providing electronic payment services, such as prepaid cards, SMS and online games’ banking, while Minh is the company’s Sales Director.

The same criminal proceedings were also initiated against Lê Anh Tuấn, director of TNC Technology JSC. Tuấn was born in 1983 and lives in Hà Nội’s Hà Đông District. He has been banned from travelling outside of his residential area.

On Monday, the agency searched the workplaces of all the accused to collect documents, objects, equipment and electronic data related to the case.

The probe initially found that the money paid via legal and illegal payment gateways in the online gambling case exceeded VNĐ9.58 trillion (some US$422 million), including more than VNĐ9.29 trillion via pre-paid telecom cards and game cards, accounting for 97 per cent of the total money involved. Some VNĐ5.6 trillion ($246.4 million) was paid in cash or sent via bank transfers.

In relation to this case, on March 11, the agency detained and started proceedings against Nguyễn Thanh Hóa, former Major General and former director of the Ministry of Public Security’s police department for high-tech crimes, for organising the gamble.

Last Friday, Phan Văn Vĩnh, former Lieutenant General and former Director General of the ministry’s Police General Department was prosecuted on the charge of “abusing position and power while performing duties”.

The investigation agency has so far started legal proceedings against nearly 90 persons for their involvement in the case.

Further investigation is underway. — VNS