The gambling operation took place at King Club, located on the first floor of the Pullman Hotel on Cat Linh Street, Hanoi. According to the indictment issued by the Supreme People's Procuracy, between 4/2/2024 and 22/6/2024, Kim In Sung (a South Korean suspect who has absconded) allowed 145 Vietnamese individuals to gamble at King Club, with the total accumulated amount reaching 106 million USD (approximately 2.576 trillion VND). Kim In Sung profited 9.2 million USD, about 222 billion VND, from the total losses of the gamblers.

Out of the 145 gamblers, authorities have clarified the actions of 136 individuals, prosecuting them for gambling. Among the remaining 9 individuals identified as "showing signs of mental illness" were Nguyen Mai Anh and Le Van Dong, both 47 years old. This couple was also at the center of a recently dismantled ring involved in falsifying psychiatric assessment conclusions, an operation uncovered by Hanoi police.

The indictment of the King Club gambling case states that Mai Anh opened a card under the name MRS ROSE on 22/11/2021. Over four months in 2024, Mai Anh gambled 67 times playing Slot and Roulette. Her highest wager was over 205,000 USD (4.9 billion VND), and her lowest was 2,150 USD (51 million VND). Mai Anh lost a total of nearly 395,000 USD—approximately 9.4 billion VND.

Dong opened his card four days before his wife, under the name MR BANK, and gambled 33 times playing Slot and Roulette in 2024. His highest wager was 70,200 USD (1.6 billion VND), and his lowest was 440 USD (10 million VND). Dong lost a total of 85,100 USD—approximately 2 billion VND.

For over three years, from the time they opened their cards at King Club until the case was broken up, both Mai Anh and Dong were undergoing mandatory psychiatric treatment at the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry.

Specifically, during the A09 (the Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security) investigation into the King Club gambling case, Mai Anh was a suspect in a case handled by the Hanoi Police Investigation Agency, while Dong, with five prior convictions and offenses, was a suspect in a case handled by the former Thanh Xuan District Police Investigation Agency.

On 24/4, A09 requested the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry to assess Mai Anh and Dong’s cognitive and behavioral control abilities before, during, and after gambling. Due to the lack of assessment results, A09 separated Mai Anh and Dong’s cases for later review and processing.

Nguyen Mai Anh and Le Van Dong. Photo: Ngoc Bich

Last June, Mai Anh and Dong were prosecuted by Hanoi police in a separate case, accused of manipulating the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, from top leadership to security guards, creating a closed circle. They established a ring to falsify psychiatric assessment conclusions.

During their mandatory treatment, Mai Anh allegedly colluded with and bribed leaders and staff at the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry to secure a private room and freedom to leave the premises. Their room was equipped with air conditioning and audio equipment, used for entertainment and drug use.

While undergoing mandatory treatment, the couple frequently went out, even on trips, inviting the entire department of the Institute along. After establishing these "close" relationships, Mai Anh acted as a broker, arranging deals with the Institute’s leadership to falsify psychiatric assessments for other suspects.

In some cases, Mai Anh received billions of VND, then transferred hundreds of millions to the Institute’s director, Tran Van Truong. As a result, many individuals without mental illness received psychiatric diagnoses, allowing them to undergo mandatory psychiatric treatment and evade criminal responsibility.

The police accuse Mai Anh of "transferring a large amount of money in numerous instances" to Truong to arrange falsified assessments.

In this case, Hanoi police prosecuted 36 leaders and officials of the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry. Among them were Director Tran Van Truong, Dang Thi Hoa (Truong's wife); Deputy Director Lam Van Thanh, Head of the Assessment Department Duong Van Biet, along with nearly 20 doctors, nurses from the male and female wards, and two security guards. Additionally, the Director of the Northern Mountainous Region Forensic Psychiatry Center and two subordinates were also arrested for allegedly accepting bribes.