Hanoi-based newspaper contributor arrested for extortion

By Minh Hue
Sat, January 6, 2024 | 10:08 am GMT+7

Ho Chi Minh City police busted a contributor to a Hanoi-based newspaper red-handed receiving money from a project owner for not posting articles about his business’s violations.

Le Xuan Dao, 29, was arrested by the police for “appropriation of property”.

A policeman reads an order to arrest Le Xuan Dao, a contributor to a Hanoi-based newspaper. Photo courtesy of Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

A policeman reads an order to arrest Le Xuan Dao, a contributor to a Hanoi-based newspaper. Photo courtesy of Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

Previously, the police discovered a group of people claiming to be reporters and contributors at newspapers and radio and television stations had met businesses and individuals that had been operating illegally, and threatened to write articles about their violations. If they wanted their crimes to remain a secret, they were blackmailed into paying money.

Dao admitted he went alone to pick up VND27 million ($1,100) from a project owner in District 12, adding he had just been accepted as a contributor to a newspaper headquartered in Hanoi.

The investigation agency is expanding the case, calling on victims of the group to come forward.

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