Deputy Secretary of the commune and many officials lost their jobs because of gambling

On the morning of February 24, the Inspection Committee of Yen Dinh District Party Committee (Thanh Hoa) announced that it had just disciplined a group of cadres of Dinh Lien commune for gambling for money.

Specifically, Mr. Le Trong Hoa (Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee) and Mr. Nguyen Van Ke (Vice Chairman of the People's Council) were removed from all positions in the Party. The District Party Committee sent a document to the People's Council to remove Mr. Ke from his position.

The Disciplinary Council unanimously dismissed the Commune Police Chief from his position; a judicial officer was given a Party warning. The Director of the Service Cooperative sat and watched, but as a Party member, he did not stop it. The report was also criticized and lessons learned.

In addition, Dinh Lien Commune Party Secretary Nguyen Van Trach was considered for disciplinary action because he discovered officials gambling at the office, but did not resolutely stop them. When given instructions from his superiors, Mr. Trach did not seriously ask the violating officials to seriously admit their shortcomings and take disciplinary action, but only proposed a reprimand.

In early January, people sent a video to the authorities of Yen Dinh district accusing five officials of Dinh Lien commune of organizing gambling right in the office of Mr. Nguyen Van Ke, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Council.

Yen Dinh District Police invited the people involved to come in for questioning. The group admitted to gambling at Dinh Lien Commune headquarters in August 2017 to get money for breakfast. The winner received less than 2 million VND, so the police did not initiate criminal proceedings but instead imposed an administrative fine of 1.5 million VND on each person.