A former Vietnamese politician unintentionally killed a teenager in a traffic accident in central Hanoi last year but was exempted from criminal prosecution, a police officer ‌told state television, shedding light for the first time on a case that has fuelled criticism online for months.

Authorities said the accident’s exploitation was carried out by “hostile forces”.

The driver, Nguyen Sy Cuong, is a former deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the husband of a minister in the current government.

During a recent visit to the site, Reuters reporters saw only scattered flower petals near the tree [where the accident happened]. Plainclothes officers appeared to be monitoring the area from across the street.

But he added that Cuong was exempted from criminal liability because of mitigating ⁠factors. The family of the victim, whose identity was not disclosed in the report, also withdrew its complaint, Long said.