A General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong wants to eliminate Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh from the race to the position of the chief of the Communist Party of Vietnam after he retires at the end of the 13th National Congress scheduled in early 2026.
Responding to questions from the National Assembly on the field of internal affairs and security and order on November 7, it was no coincidence that Minister of Public Security To Lam made a request: “We need to cut off backyard relations and a lot of manipulating state agencies, do not let corrupt officials and individuals escape.”
This statement by General To Lam once again shows that, in Vietnam’s politics at the present time, all directions point to… PM Chinh.
Commenting on the fact that Chairwoman of the Advanced International Co. (AIC) Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan has recently been continuously mentioned in the newsletters of the Ministry of Public Security, as well as statements by the head of the Central Anti-Corruption Steering Commission, Professor Zachary Abuza commented:
“This is not considered a normal fraud and bribery case, because this woman is believed to have a relationship with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh… Ms. Nhan is rumored to be his ex-lover. But even if it is an unfounded rumor, Ms. Nhan has clearly benefited from her close relationship with the prime minister and other leaders. Ms. [Nhan] is characterized by her diligence in nurturing relationships with provincial leaders where she seeks business contracts.”
The information revealed by Professor Zachary Abuza in the article was surprising. This is also consistent with the information that international media previously reported, that is, Ms. Nhan is residing in Germany, and is protected by many layers, to prevent being kidnapped by Vietnam’s Police like the case of Trinh Xuan Thanh in July 2017.
The forces that are protecting Ms. Nhan include: Security of the host country, private security forces hired by Ms. Nhan, and… forces of the General Intelligence Department 2 of Vietnam’s Defense Ministry.
Professor Zachary Abuza revealed the following:
“AIC’s website also informs that the company often acts as a consultant for the Defense Ministry- a powerful agency in Vietnam, with Nhan acting as a broker for Vietnam’s procurement of weapons from Israel.
Reports say that Israeli defense companies have sold weapons worth about $1.5 billion to Vietnam over the past decade as the Vietnam People’s Army has sought to modernize and reduce its dependence on Russian weapons.”
With Ms. Nhan as a broker, Israel negotiated to sell an additional two billion dollars in weapons to Vietnam, including surface-to-air missiles and other weapons systems.
This deal was worth $550 million, but Ms. Nhan is said to have tried to ask the Israeli manufacturer to significantly raise the selling price to get a larger commission. Israeli officials were angry that the corrupt scheme could potentially upset the sale and at least delayed its implementation.
Ms. Nhan has never been charged with any activities related to weapons procurement – this perhaps reflects [Vietnam’s Defense Ministry’s] fear of revealing information about her activities. Military procurement – which is a sensitive issue.
According to analysts, issues related to Ms. Nhan have been raised recently, with unusual frequency, possibly a new effort by General Secretary Trong and his faction, including To Lam, aimed at weakening PM Chinh, as the race sprints for senior leadership positions before the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
But there are also concerns for the General Secretary, as Mr. Trong’s anti-corruption efforts mainly target those supported by officials, or their business partners. People want to mention the story of Mr. Ho Mau Ngot – assistant to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong – who is a tycoon in court affairs and bribery for position arrangement.
If PM Chinh overcomes all obstacles to hold supreme power, and then, Mr. Chinh follows the policy of “attacking officials supported by General Secretary Trong” then what will happen to General Secretary Trong?
Thoibao.de (Translated)
