Two senior police officers are among 92 people facing prosecution over a transnational online gambling ring that was turning over an estimated US$420 million when it was shut down by authorities.
Former General Police Department director Phan Van Vinh and former Ministry of Public Security cyber crime division director Nguyen Thanh Hoa are likely to be charged with abusing their power or position in the performance of official duties, VN Express reported.
They could be imprisoned for 5-10 years if found guilty.
Vinh is said to have helped Nguyen Thanh Hoa and Nguyen Van Duong — chairman of high-tech security development company CNC — to establish the gambling racket and was paid hush money. He also ordered Nguyen Thanh Hoa to cover up its existence.
Investigators said the operation accumulated nearly 43 million user accounts after being launched in mid-2015. It was smashed when police probing a separate fraud case traced mobile top-up cards that had been redeemed for virtual currencies on the gambling site.
The other 90 people implicated in the case are facing charges of gambling, organizing gambling, money laundering and handling trading illegal receipts.