Mr. Dong Xuan Thu - Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Environment and Urban Magazine and a number of subordinates were investigated for the crime of "Extortion of property" under Article 170 of the Penal Code.
Dong Xuan Thu's subordinates are Bui Van Toan - Head of Environmental Economics, Nguyen Ngoc Tuyen - reporter, Cao Thi Thu Huong - Chief Accountant. In addition, a number of reporters and collaborators of this magazine have also been summoned to the investigation agency's headquarters to serve the investigation and expand the case.
According to initial investigation, this is a gang of journalists who extort property.
This is perhaps the first time a press agency has had its leaders, reporters, and staff join together to organize extortion activities. The police have been monitoring for a long time, only "taking action" when there is enough evidence of the gang's illegal behavior.
The gang's method of extorting property is not simply to threaten and force individuals, organizations, and businesses to give money, but to implement a very methodical plan. Since 2020, Dong Xuan Thu has directed the establishment of the program and raised funds for the "Golden Broom" in the name of honoring, supporting, and doing charity work to help environmental sanitation workers nationwide in difficult circumstances.
It is indeed a good initiative, because helping sanitation workers is the right thing to do, not only for charity, but also to promote awareness of environmental protection, not littering, and keeping the streets clean. Dong Xuan Thu has hit the psychology, emotions and desires of the community through the "Golden Broom" program.
But Dong Xuan Thu took advantage of the community's trust and kindness to make illegal money. In addition to volunteering, this gang also used tricks to force businesses to do "charity".
Dong Xuan Thu's method was to direct reporters and collaborators to dig up information showing signs of wrongdoing by organizations, individuals, and businesses, then threaten to publish it in the Vietnam Environment and Urban Electronic Magazine. If any individual or business wants to avoid having their information made public, they must pay to participate in the "Golden Broom" program implemented by these subjects.
The investigation agency determined that Dong Xuan Thu had extorted tens of billions of dong from the victims under the guise of "support" and "sponsorship". They divided all of this money among themselves, and the "Golden Broom" was just a tool for them to do business.
This gang makes money too dirty and very dangerous. But we must consider the responsibility of the management agency, when letting a magazine with exploiters turn into a den of crime.
