Observers say Thanh's downfall is a sharp warning by an increasingly strident ruling communist party to its enemies and the business-political elite. Local media ran the photos, prompting public outrage in a country where the communist party has been stung by graft allegations and is waging an anti-corruption purge. He cannot hide forever," communist party chief Nguyen Phu Trong said in state media in December. Thanh's unravelling is not the first time the communist party has gone after one of its own, but analysts say anti-corruption punishments are normally driven by party infighting rather than a real commitment to reform. Vietnamese media was silent on the allegations emerging from Germany on Thursday morning.

Source: The Local August 03, 2017 13:07 UTC