Deputy Prime Minister's Assistant Arrested

On September 27, Mr. Linh, 48 years old, was prosecuted and temporarily detained by the Ministry of Public Security's Security Investigation Agency under Article 354 of the Penal Code.

Mr. Linh is the 19th person to be criminally prosecuted after 8 months of investigation into the case.Bribery, bribery, Fraudulent appropriation of propertyoccurred at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, Government Office and related units.

On the same day, Mr. Linh was expelled from the Party by the Secretariat along with Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung. Previously, Mr. Dung was also arrested for the same crime.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Linh. Photo:Ministry of Public Security

Mr. Linh was assessed as lacking in self-cultivation, training, and deteriorating in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle; violating Party regulations and State laws on preventing and combating corruption and negativity;...

The Secretariat found that Mr. Linh had taken advantage of his position, violated working principles and regulations; violated Party regulations and State laws in advising and submitting for approval to grant licenses to businesses to organize flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home during the Covid-19 pandemic; and violated regulations on what Party members are not allowed to do.

Officials involved in the "rescue flight" case. Graphics:Ta Lu

The investigation into the "rescue flight" was initiated by the Ministry of Public Security's Security Investigation Agency on January 28. Since then, many people holding positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been prosecuted and temporarily detained on charges ofTake bribes,such as Mr. To Anh Dung, Deputy Minister; Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former Director of the Consulate; Mr. Do Hoang Tung, former Deputy Director of the Consulate; Mr. Le Tuan Anh, former Chief of Office of the Consular Department; Mr. Luu Tuan Dung, Deputy Head of the Citizen Protection Office of the Consular Department.

At the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, former Deputy Director Tran Van Du and two subordinates Vu Sy Cuong and Vu Anh Tuan were also arrested for accepting bribes. The investigation agency has prosecuted many other defendants at the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, and the Government Office for the same crime.

Mr. Bui Huy Hoang, an officer of the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health, is currently the only person being investigated for the accusation.Fraudulent appropriation of property.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security once said that there were nearly 2,000 "rescue flights" to rescue Vietnamese people returning from abroad during the Covid-19 outbreak. Each flight, after deducting expenses, earned a profit of several billion VND.