The arrest of Nguyen Thanh Hai, director of the Government Office’s department of international relations, was made as part of further investigation into the Consular Department case, according to Lt. Gen. To An Xo, Chief of the Office of the Ministry of Public Security.  

Xo added that the Investigation Security Agency under the Ministry of Public Security is continuing with investigation into the case.

This is the latest development in the case of "giving and taking bribes" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Department, in Hanoi and other province and cities related to the licensing of the firms that conducted repatriation flights for Vietnamese people.

During the process of investigation, the agency also launched legal proceedings against and arrested Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung; Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, head of the Consular Department; Do Hoang Tung, deputy head of the department; Le Tuan Anh, chief of the department’s office; and Luu Tuan Dung, deputy head of the citizen protection desk at the department, and a number of officials at the Government Office, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security, all on the charge of taking bribes.

Source: VNA