ANOTHER MINISTERIAL-LEVEL VICTIM OF NAM CAM

UNCLAS HANOI 002777 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS SOCI VM SUBJECT: ANOTHER MINISTERIAL-LEVEL VICTIM OF NAM CAM REF: A. FBIS SEP 20021118000011 B. HANOI 1795 ¶1. (U) OFFICIAL VIETNAMESE MEDIA (REF A) AND FOREIGN MEDIA HAVE CARRIED REPORTS OF THE NOVEMBER 15 DISMISSAL OF VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY MAJOR GENERAL HOANG NGOC NHAT FOR "BREACHES OF THE LAW" LINKED TO THE NAM CAM "MAFIA" UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 02777 181011Z CASE. NHAT, WHO WAS ALSO DEMOTED TO COLONEL BUT ONLY "DISCIPLINED" BY -- NOT FORMALLY SACKED FROM -- THE MINISTRY, HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE OFFICIAL WHO IN 1997 SIGNED TRUONG VAN CAM'S INITIAL RELEASE FROM PRISON EIGHT MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. REF B REPORTED ON THE EARLIER DISMISSALS AND EVENTUAL EXPULSION FROM THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF TWO OTHER HIGH FLIERS -- VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY LIEUTENANT GENERAL BUI QUOC HUY AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE VOICE OF VIETNAM TRAN MAI HANH -- FOLLOWING THE SIXTH PARTY PLENUM JULY 4-15. ANOTHER, PHAM SI CHIEN, WAS FORMALLY DISMISSED AS VICE GENERAL PROCURATOR OF THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S PROCURACY IN AUGUST. ¶2. (U) TRIALS IN THE NAM CAM CASE ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN HO CHI MINH CITY ON DECEMBER 10 AND CONTINUE UNTIL JANUARY ¶28. AT LEAST 156 PEOPLE WILL BE ON TRIAL, INCLUDING HUY, HANH, AND CHIEN. IT APPEARS THAT NHAT WILL NOT BE PROSECUTED. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AMONG FOREIGN JOURNALISTS TO COVER THE TRIALS, BUT THE GVN HAS NOT YET ANNOUNCED WHETHER THE COURTS WILL BE OPEN FOR THE MEDIA. ¶3. (U) IN HIS OPENING REMARKS AT THE SECOND SESSION OF THE 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON NOVEMBER 12, PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI SPECIFICALLY CITED "NAM CAM" AS A NOTORIOUS EXAMPLE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES PENETRATING INTO THE WORKINGS OF THE STATE APPARATUS, AND NOTED THE NEED TO HAVE "TRUSTWORTHY" PEOPLE WORKING IN SECURITY-RELATED ORGANS. GENERAL SECRETARY NONG DUC MANH ADMITTED TO THE CLOSING SESSION OF SIPDIS THE SEVENTH PLENUM OF THE 9TH PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE ON NOVEMBER 9 THAT "ORGANIZED CRIMINALS HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH CORRUPT AND DEGENERATE OFFICIALS AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 02777 181011Z INCLUDING A NUMBER OF HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS," A SUBJECT OF "GREAT CONCERN" TO THE PARTY AND STATE. ¶4. (U) COMMENT: THE CPV AND GVN WILL ATTEMPT TO USE THE UPCOMING MASS TRIALS RELATED TO NAM CAM AS SHOWCASES OF THEIR SERIOUSNESS IN CRACKING DOWN ON CORRUPTION AND IN DEMONSTRATING THAT EVEN SENIOR OFFICIALS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO PROSECUTION. HEAVY SENTENCES CAN BE EXPECTED, INCLUDING A POSSIBLE DEATH PENALTY AT LEAST FOR NAM CAM HIMSELF. FOREIGN JOURNALISTS ARE SKEPTICAL THAT THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO WITNESS THE TRIALS, GIVEN POSSIBLE GVN WORRIES ABOUT WHAT NAM CAM MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO SAY IN HIS OWN DEFENSE (I.E., ABOUT HIS ALLEGED LINKS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OF VERY HIGH RANKING CPV AND GVN OFFICIALS). PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE CASE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE HIGH, HOWEVER (AT LEAST IN HANOI),NOR IS IT LIKELY THAT EVEN SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS OF THESE CASES -- A FOREGONE CONCLUSION IN THIS JUDICIAL ENVIRONMENT -- WILL WIN BACK MUCH PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE SANCTITY OF GVN AND CPV OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS. BURGHARDT UNCLASSIFIED