Vietnam senior party official to be punished over sex scandal

Jul 6, 2010, 7:49 GMT

Hanoi - A committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party has asked the government to sack a high-ranking official for having sex with underage students, state media reported Tuesday.

The party's Central Inspection Committee on Monday asked the prime minister to sack Nguyen Truong To, chairman of the People's Committee of a northern province, the party-run newspaper Nhan Dan reported.

Such requests from the committee are usually carried out.

The committee also asked that To be sacked from his position as deputy chief of Ha Giang province's Party Committee.

The committee said To, 57, had seriously violated the conduct of a party member since 2005, including having 'unhealthy relations,' leading a life of gross self-indulgence, and not setting a good example.

The statement did not specify the nature of To's relations, but a top party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said To had sex with underage female students.

In February, two alleged victims in the sex trial of a high school principal in Ha Giang said the accused had coerced them into having sex with many other officials and businessmen, including To.

The trial of Sam Duc Xuong, 53, for having sex with nine students aged 13 to 17 over the last two years, was delayed as the court asked the police to carry out further investigations based on the girls' testimony.