After former Minister of Public Security To Lam took the position of State President, there were many concerns about his political future. There are pessimistic opinions that his time in office in his new position can be “measured in months.”
In fact, with the experience of a cunning politician, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong neutralized the “rebellion” of the former police chief very quickly and effectively.
Trong’s decision to mercilessly eliminate Standing Secretary of the Secretariat Truong Thi Mai – a person close to him, to be replaced by General Luong Cuong, was extremely correct. The party chief decided to restore and enhance the position of the military to counterbalance and control the police force, which was showing signs of challenging his power.
The state-controlled media reported on May 25 that the Defense Ministry is investigating a criminal case related to violations of the handover of land at Nha Trang airport to Phuc Son Group. This company has a series of bidding violations in other localities, such as Quang Ngai, Vinh Phuc, etc. causing a series of high-ranking officials in these two provinces to be arrested.
VnExpress online on the same day said that the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province has assigned units and provided records of land plots at the old Nha Trang airport, after the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Defense Ministry stepped in and investigated and clarify violations of land management regulations when handing over defense land at this airport.
Accordingly, in 2021, the Government Inspectorate concluded that there are 6 projects in the form of BT (Build – Transfer) with errors and violations. Specifically, in 2016, the Defense Ministry handed over more than 62 hectares of defense land at Nha Trang airport for local management. This area was handed over by Khanh Hoa to Phuc Son Group for an urban area project for commercial purposes.
According to well-informed sources, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Defense Ministry has also stepped in and investigated the case of “Xuan Cau Company of To Lam’s family having a joint venture with CityLand Company – a backyard company of General Phung Quang Thanh, with Xuan Cau Company’s overwhelming capital contribution of up to 85%.”
Due to CityLand Company’s violations related to the military, in terms of authority, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Defense Ministry has the right to handle the investigation, completely legally. Furthermore, CityLand is related to Xuan Cau Company, so the investigation can be expanded to other business and investment activities of this group.
According to observers: “Is this the ‘Achilles heel’ of General To Lam? And the secret tactic of prosecuting backyard businesses of the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Defense Ministry to cut down the forces behind them, can be applied in this case, to Xuan Cau Company and To Lam personally?”
In recent times, the political context at the top has been very unstable. On social networks, many articles have been spread about the Xuan Cau Trading and Services Company of To Lam’s family, led by To Dung – the younger brother of the former Minister of Public Security.
According to journalist Dong Phung Viet, Xuan Cau Holdings is the investor of many high-end real estate projects (garden houses, villas) in Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Binh Dinh, etc. Each project with an area of a few dozen to a few hundred hectares, and investment capital from hundreds to thousands, even tens of thousands of billions. In addition, Xuan Cau Holdings is also the owner of many complexes of commercial centers, hotels, resorts, golf courses, etc. and continues to reach into the field of renewable energy, by associating with several foreign corporations to build solar power plants in Tay Ninh, Soc Trang, Binh Thuan, Quang Tri, and others.
Notably, Xuan Cau Holding is still classified as “secretive” but the value of this company’s assets in the real estate sector alone has reached billions of dollars. Still according to reporter Dong Phung Viet, “without To Lam’s backing, Xuan Cau could not have grown so strong.”
What has just been said shows that State President To Lam has been in a “dozen ambush” situation. Furthermore, in the past, public opinion still believed that the military always stood aside from all factional disputes within the Party. But clearly, today, that is no longer true. There is a high possibility that the Defense Ministry has been dragged into action by “competent authorities” to “return the file” on To Lam.
That will certainly negatively affect the future and political fate of the former security chief./.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
