A Vietnamese admiral and former naval commander has been probed for irresponsibility and oversight which led to serious consequences during his time in office, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Investigators under the Ministry of National Defense have recently initiated legal proceedings against Admiral Nguyen Van Hien in accordance with Article 360 of the Penal Code.

Hien was Deputy Minister of National Defense from 2009 to 2016 and Commander of the Vietnam People's Navy from 2004 to 2015.

He was also a member of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission between 2005 and 2010.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc previously dismissed Hien from his title as former commander of the naval force in early September.

Hien was also dismissed from all party positions in June.

During a meeting in late June, the Politburo – the Party’s top decision-making body – noted that during his time serving as vice secretary of the Party Committee and commander of the naval force, Hien was responsible for serious violations and mistakes of the Committee’s standing board regarding the management and use of defense land under naval management.

Hien was also responsible for violating legal stipulations on land management and use, and construction on ten plots of defense land.

He violated the principle of centralized democracy and regulations of the naval force, and showed lack of leadership and supervision.

The Politburo said the violations and mistakes were very serious, causing large losses to the state and the army, and resulting in a number of officials and Party members in the naval force being prosecuted and subject to criminal investigation.

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