Complex sentence: A rather more damaging rumour was that Nông had included Nguyễn Việt Tiến, the Deputy Minister of Transport who was implicated in the scandal, on the Central Committee nominee list.Also, Đào Đình Bình, the Minister of Transport, was a close associate of Nông.
Split into simpler sentences: A rather more damaging rumour was that Nông had included Nguyễn Việt Tiến, the Deputy Minister of Transport who was supposedly implicated in the scandal, on the Central Committee nominee list. It didn't help either that Đào Đình Bình, the Minister of Transport, was known to be a close associate of Nông.