The Phu Tho People’s Procuracy on November 21 proposed handing down jail terms on former senior officers at the Ministry of Public Security and other defendants for their alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar online gambling ring, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

A combination file photo of Phan Van Vinh (L), former head of the General Police Department at the Ministry of Public Security, and Nguyen Thanh Hoa, former director of the Anti-high-tech Crime Police Department 

Accordingly, Phan Van Vinh, 63, former head of the General Police Department, may spend seven to 7.5 years behind bars for abusing his position and power while on duty.

Further, prosecutors suggested a prison term of 7.5 to eight years for Nguyen Thanh Hoa, 60, ex-director of the Anti-High-tech Crime Division (C50), for the same count as Vinh.

According to prosecutors, Vinh and his surbodinate Hoa, who were tasked with hi-tech crime prevention and combat, had abused their power to prevent the gambling ring from being discovered.

In particular, Vinh had turned a blind eye to the formation of the ring and had actively signed approvals that facilitated its formation. Hoa was ordered by Vinh to sign approvals, allowing the ring to flourish.

Vinh, while on duty, had signed Decision 158/QD-C41 establishing Hi-Tech Security Development and Investment Co., Ltd (CNC), under the management of C50 without the approval of his superiors, which is against the Ministry of Public Security’s regulations. The extensive online gambling ring was later found to be run by Phan Sao Nam, 39, former chairman of local online game firm VTC Online, and CNC ex-chairman Nguyen Van Duong, 43.

When the Ministry of Public Security detected the online gambling ring and asked Vinh to report on the case, he failed to do so. It was not until the ministry made the request for the second time that he made a report on the case but with inaccurate information.

He even directed Nguyen Cong Son, deputy head of the General Police Department, to propose the Ministry of Information and Communications issue a license for the operations of CNC.

According to the Phu Tho People’s Procuracy, Vinh’s violations are extremely serious, as they harmed the prestige of the police, while Hoa allegedly provided protection for the gambling ring, rather than prosecuting those responsible.

Also, the procuracy proposed sentencing CNC ex-chairman Nguyen Van Duong to eight to nine years in jail for organizing gambling and three to four years for laundering money. With the two counts, Duong may stay behind bars for 11-13 years.

Prosecutors also suggested confiscating more than VND1.7 trillion (US$73.2 million) that Duong had gained from the ring.

As for Phan Sao Nam, the procuracy wanted a prison term of three to four years to be handed down for organizing gambling and three years for laundering money. Thus, he may face a total jail term of six to seven years for the two counts.

Nam was also proposed to pay some VND1.5 trillion to the State budget. In addition, the procuracy suggested confiscating more than VND1 trillion from Nam and to freeze his assets, comprising 13 apartments, five cars and several bank accounts.

According to the procuracy, Nam had pleaded guilty and accepted all consequences for his actions.

The provincial police uncovered the massive gambling ring while investigating a fraud case involving mobile phone top-up cards in May 2017. On the websites Rikvip.com and 23zdo.com, players were able to gamble with virtual money and convert their winnings to real money.

Investigators found that the portals had started operating in April 2015, drawing nearly 43 million players, with bets worth roughly VND10 trillion in circulation.

Up to 105 defendants across the country have been prosecuted for their involvement in the ring on the charges of one or more counts of gambling, organizing gambling, illegally trading invoices, laundering money, using the Internet to appropriate assets and abusing positions of power.

The competent agencies have seized more than VND1.3 trillion from the defendants.

SGT