[JURIST] Three former Vietnamese government officials and six others will face organized gambling and bribery charges in court next month, a Hanoi People's Court official said Tuesday. Bui Tien Dung, a former project management head in the Ministry of Transportation [official website], allegedly placed bets totaling $760,000 on European soccer matches and subsequently attempted to cover up the alleged wrongdoing by paying a bribe of $68,000. Dung faces a maximum penalty of death for bribery, while the other defendants face up to 20 years in prison for gambling. Gambling is illegal in Vietnam.

The gambling-bribery scandal has resulted in the resignation [VOA report] of Transportation Minister Dao Dinh Binh and the arrest of his deputy Nguyen Viet Tien. In March, former Deputy Trade Minister Mai Van Dau and 13 other defendants went on trial for bribery, fraud, abuse of power, and forgery [AP report]. The defendants allegedly offered or accepted bribes to enable certain textile and garment companies to increase their share of the export quotas imposed by the United States. AP has more.