According to the MoPS’s official announcement on April 6, the Investigation Security Agency under the Department of Public Security of Phu Tho province issued a decision on starting criminal proceedings against and an arrest warrant for a four-month detention of Phan Van Vinh, who was born in 1955 and resides in Vi Hoang ward of Nam Dinh city, Nam Dinh province.
He faces the charge under Clause 3, Article 281 of the 1999 Penal Code. He is accused of being involved in the case of “using the internet to appropriate assets, organise gambling, gamble, illegally trade invoices and launder money in Phu Tho province and some other provinces and cities.”
Also on April 6, President Tran Dai Quang signed a decision to strip Vinh of the title People’s Public Security officer.
Phu Tho police are expanding a probe into the case to clarify the responsibility of concerned persons.
On March 11, 2018, the Phu Tho Investigation Security Agency launched legal proceedings against and an arrest warrant for Nguyen Thanh Hoa, former Major General and former Director of the MoPS’s Police Department for Hi-tech Crime Prevention, who is accused of “organising gambling” relating to this case.
Police recently announced that Phan Sao Nam (born in 1979, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of the VTC Online Telecommunications Company – VTC online) and Nguyen Van Duong (born in 1975, Chairman of the Member Council of the Hi-tech Security Development and Investment Ltd. Co. – CNC), are accused of being the masterminds behind the online gambling ring.
Meanwhile, Hoang Thanh Trung (born in 1978, Deputy Director of the Nam Viet Investment Development Service Co. Ltd and former Director of the VTC Technology and Digital Content Company – VTC Intecom) had deep involvement in the case.
Their crime was supported by many persons, police said.
As of March 14, 2018, the investigation agency had launched legal proceedings against 83 persons. Among them, 41 persons were prosecuted for the charge of organising gambling, 38 for gambling, four for illegally trading invoices, two for laundering money and one using the internet to appropriate assets.
The probe initially found that the money paid via legal and illegal payment gateways exceeded VND9.58 trillion (around $422 million ), including more than VND9.29 trillion via pre-paid telecom cards and game cards, accounting for 97 percent of the total money involved. About VND168 billion ($7.4 million ) was sent from bank accounts.
