The Vietnamese government has required the suspension of a deputy head of the General Directorate of Police for his alleged involvement in a transport ministry scandal, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has instructed Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh not to let major-general Cao Ngoc Oanh, deputy head of the directorate and head of the Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security, maintain his post for his alleged involvement in wrongdoings at the Project Management Unit No. 18 (PMU18) under the Transport Ministry.

In January, PMU18 general director Bui Tien Dung was detained for spending millions of U.S. dollars on making bets on international soccer matches. Since then, local investigators have detected some other wrongdoings of the general director, his underlings and superiors, including a deputy transport minister.

Local media have recently said the underlings, using some 500, 000 dollars, attempted to bribe some influential figures, including Oanh, so that the figures would campaign for slighter charges against Bui Tien Dung.

Oanh has allegedly had contacts with one of the underlings. However, he has recently told reporters that the subordinate could have wanted to bribe him, but nothing had happened.

Besides asking the Ministry of Public Security to clarify Oanh's potential involvement in the PMU18 scandal, the prime minister asked the ministry to investigate a lieutenant-colonel named Do Kim Huy at the General Directorate of Police. Bui Tien Dung confessed that he had given 20,000 dollars to Huy, asking him to campaign for slighter charges.

The Ministry of Public Security must report investigation results to the prime minister before July 20.

Bui Tien Dung has been prosecuted for four charges, namely gambling, intentionally acting counter to state regulations in economic management, giving and receiving bribes.

On Wednesday, the prime minister approved resignation of Nguyen Van Lam, vice chairman of the Government Office. Lam said he had received, in his working trip to the central region in 2003, a total of 2.25 million Vietnamese dong (141 U.S. dollars) from local authorities, violating the government's regulations, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

Recently, local newspapers said Lam had allegedly received a large amount of money from local authorities and entrepreneurs during his trip. Two close relatives of Lam's wife have had working contacts with Bui Tien Dung.

Source: Xinhua