Police in Vietnam have raided the house of a man suspected of organising a scam in which tens of millions of dollars of state funds were spent on illegal football gambling.
State media quoted by ABC Asia Pacific News said Nguyen Trung Hieu, the alleged leader of the football betting network, disappeared by the time police searched his home in the capital, Hanoi, on Friday. The Tin Tuc daily said the 34-year-old suspect is alleged to have direct links with gamblers in Hong Kong and Macau.
In January, Vietnamese police arrested Bui Tien Dung, a director general at the Ministry of Transport, over allegations he spent state funds on illegal betting, including placing several million dollars worth of bets on English Premier League and Spanish Liga matches. Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai swiftly ordered an investigation.
State media quoted by ABC Asia Pacific News said Nguyen Trung Hieu, the alleged leader of the football betting network, disappeared by the time police searched his home in the capital, Hanoi, on Friday. The Tin Tuc daily said the 34-year-old suspect is alleged to have direct links with gamblers in Hong Kong and Macau.
In January, Vietnamese police arrested Bui Tien Dung, a director general at the Ministry of Transport, over allegations he spent state funds on illegal betting, including placing several million dollars worth of bets on English Premier League and Spanish Liga matches. Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai swiftly ordered an investigation.
See also: Vietnamese officials bet thousands on football (2 Feb) and Senior official arrested for gambling in Vietnam (23 Jan)