A businesswoman has had to resign as National Assembly deputy after she was found to hold dual Maltese citizenship.
The chief of staff of the National Election Council, Nguyen Hanh Phuc told the media yesterday, July 17, that Nguyen Thi Nguyet Huong had violated Vietnam’s Law on Nationality, which prohibits local citizens from having dual citizenship.
"The National Election Council realised Huong’s undeclared dual citizenship on Friday," Phuc said. "We had to called for an urgent meeting on Sunday to vote on her status."
Phuc explained that as a deputy of the 12th and 13th National Assembly, Huong should have known well about the regulations but her family have all adopted Maltese citizen. She did not declare it in her profile.
Huong, 46, is chairwoman of TNG Holdings Vietnam, the investor in several urban area and apartment projects in Hanoi.
She has become the second deputy to be dismissed in just three days.
On Friday, former Vice Chairman of Hau Giang Province People's Committee, Trinh Xuan Thanh, was also dismissed before the new National Assembly convenes its first plenary session on July 20.
Thanh was rejected from the NA deputy title following his illegally using a government blue plate for his luxury private car. The former chairman of PVC was also blamed for causing massive losses to the company during his leadership from 2007 to 2013.
After the latest dismissals, the new National Assembly will have 494 deputies.