Vietnam Jails Former Coast Guard Chief For Embezzlement

A military court in Vietnam has sentenced a former coast guard commander to 16 years in prison.

Report says the military court found him guilty of embezzlement of $2 million from military procurement deals.

Nguyen Son, 59, was convicted of masterminding the theft of 50 billion dongs ($2.12 million) while heading the coast guard, in what the judge described as a “particularly serious case” that hurt the image of the defence service.

They were the latest victims of a “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption by long-serving Communist Party chief Nguyen Trong, which has this year seen the jailing of several high-ranking officials, the exit of the country’s president, and the dismissal of two former deputy prime ministers.

Six other former top coast guard officials received prison time ranging from 10 to 15 and a half years each for their involvement in the embezzlement, report says.

They were arrested last year, according to the defence ministry, which said Son was responsible for violations between 2015 and 2020, including “financial mismanagement” and “procurement irregularities.”

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere