The Hanoi authorities arrested one of the country's most powerful security officials, suspected of having helped a business magnate and, a former intelligence agent, flee abroad.
The move, "unprecedented" in modern Vietnamese history, marks an expansion of the anti-corruption campaign begun in the 2016 and which now affects the powerful Vietnamese intelligence agencies. Vietnam boasts one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, but its economic performance is severely hampered by corruption, which is rooted in the communist country that counts 93 millions of people.
By evaluating the corruption perception index, Transparency International ranked Vietnam as 107 ° among the 180 countries of the world, after Colombia, Albania and Zambia. The anti-corruption campaign launched by the Vietnamese government provoked a wave of arrests and resignation of senior officials in the lucrative energy and banking sectors of the country. The moves were unusual for the Vietnamese public, not used to public discussions on corruption, as well as the punishment of state officials.
Until this week, one of the main governmental areas seemed to have been spared from the anti-corruption investigation: the dreaded security and intelligence community. This means that the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the country's most powerful civil agency, responsible for the vast police force, the civil intelligence wing and its nascent IT security units, has been off-limits during the previous periods of transition in the turbulent history of Vietnam.
But now the traditional MPS shielding seems to be over. On Wednesday, authorities announced the arrest of Bui Van Thanh, deputy minister of MPS and the country's second most powerful intelligence officer. A press release issued by the government stated that Thanh had committed "serious violations of his work". As a result, he had been fired and militarily degraded. Government officials said Thanh was suspected of facilitating the escape of Phan Van Anh Vu, a government employee who became a property tycoon after accumulating personal fortune while working as an agent for MPS. Vu was wanted by Hanoi for alleged sale of state secrets in exchange for money, but managed to leave the country. In January, however, he was arrested in Singapore and extradited to Vietnam. According to reports, he reported to the authorities that the false passport in his possession had been given to him by Thanh, who would also help him purchase state property by giving him internal information that influences sales prices. In July, Vu was arrested (nine years), precise charges against him remain unclear.
Earlier this week, the Vietnamese government announced that a "major restructuring" would take place in the MPS, with the aim of reducing its size and maximizing its efficiency.