The Ministry of Public Security recommended Friday that Chung, 53, and Pham Quang Dung, a former official with the anti-corruption police department at the ministry, be charged with appropriation of classified documents. If convicted, they can be sent to prison for up to 15 years.

Nguyen Hoang Trung, Chung's driver, and Nguyen Anh Ngoc, former deputy head of the editorial department at the city's People’s Committee, face similar charges and prison terms of up to seven years.

Chung was arrested in August while the other three were arrested in July. Their arrests were part of an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of state secret documents in a case involving possible "smuggling, accounting violations, laundering and bidding violations causing serious consequences" at Hanoi tech giant Nhat Cuong Technical Services Trading Co. Ltd.

Chung, who was determined to be involved in the case at Nhat Cuong, got in touch with Dung through a third party. Dung, who was involved in the Nhat Cuong investigation, was asked to collect relevant information and find out if the roles of Chung and his wife were being probed, according to authorities.

From July last year to June this year, Dung had stolen nine classified documents on five occasions. He copied the documents at work and brought them home, even breaking into the office of an official using a forged key.

Dung handed over the classified documents to Chung on three occasions, authorities alleged.

Later Trung asked Ngoc to print out three other classified documents and gave them to Chung.

It has been determined that Chung masterminded the appropriation of classified documents, with the other three acting as accomplices, the ministry said, adding that Chung and his accomplices have admitted to their crime.