The Latest: On May 4, the Supreme People’s Court in Hà Nội heard the appeal trial in a case involving the “abuse of position and power to appropriate property” linked to three former police officers.
At the hearing, the court partially accepted the appeals. The court reduced Nguyễn Huy Lợi’s sentence to seven years in prison, which is two years lower than the first-instance trial verdict, while upholding a seven-year prison sentence for Nguyễn Ngọc Hoàng.
Meanwhile, Defendant Dương Tuấn Anh fled authorities, prompting investigators to separate his case for later handling.
The Details: The defendants—Dương Tuấn Anh, the deputy director of Center 1, A05, alongside police officers Nguyễn Huy Lợi and Nguyễn Ngọc Hoàng—were assigned to coordinate an investigation into an online gambling and gambling organization ring.
The three men worked for the Data Recovery and Electronic Evidence Development Center under the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention of the Ministry of Public Security.
During the course of their duties, the group allegedly accessed and transferred all cryptocurrency assets belonging to the suspects into personal wallets. The total amount appropriated exceeded 10 billion đồng (approximately $380,000).
The Timeline:
- October 2021: According to the first-instance trial verdict, the defendants were assigned to the online gambling investigation and allegedly transferred the cryptocurrency.
- February 2025: The suspects turned themselves in to authorities.
- January 2026: The court opened the first-instance trial.
- May 4, 2026: The Supreme People’s Court in Hà Nội heard the appeal trial.
Why It Matters: Prior to May 2026, throughout both the investigation and the first-instance trial proceedings, developments related to the case did not appear in the media, and details were unknown to the public.
Furthermore, when the news did break, many major newspapers did not clearly identify the agency where the defendants worked. Instead, state media described the unit only as “a professional unit under the Ministry of Public Security.”
Likewise, state media have still not disclosed when the case was officially prosecuted and placed under investigation.
Thạch Hãn wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 6, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
