Former Lieutenant General Phan Van Vinh has been given 9-year imprisonment while former Major General Nguyen Thanh Hoa has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for their involvement in a multi-million dollar gambling case. 
Nguyen Thanh Hoa (left) and Phan Van Vinh at the court. Photo: Dantri.com.vn
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Duong was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and Nam received a 5-year jail term in the court closed on November 30.
According to the indictment, Vinh and Hoa should be heavily punished due to their violations of the state’s regulations and not-guilty pleas. They do not deserve to get relief, the court said.
Meanwhile, Duong was asked to pay VND1.6 trillion (US$69.5 million) and Nam required to pay VND1.4 trillion (US$61 million) back to the state for remedial.
Telecommunication service providers are not responsible for the case but they were proved to earn profits from online gambling. For example, Viettel Telecom was asked to pay back VND200 billion out of VND913 trillion it earned, Vinaphone VND13 billion out of VND147 billion, and MobiFone VND15 billion out of VND171 billion.
In Vietnam, all kinds of gambling are banned.
