The Viet A case is one of the most serious cases related to the medical field, the largest ever, in terms of scale, nature and level of crime.
Tuoi Tre newspaper reported on December 11, with the title ” Viet A case will be tried in 20 days in early January 2024.” The news said that on December 11, the Hanoi People’s Court issued a decision to bring 38 defendants in the Viet A case to trial.
Accordingly, on January 3, 2024, Hanoi City Court will open a trial lasting about 20 days, to try 38 defendants in the case “Viet A Company inflated the price of COVID-19 test kits.”
Among those indicted, there are many former high-ranking officials, such as two former Ministers Nguyen Thanh Long, Chu Ngoc Anh, and former Hai Duong Secretary Pham Xuan Thang. In addition, Nguyen Van Trinh, Assistant to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam; Pham Cong Tac, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology; and many senior officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology; and CDC Directors of relevant provinces and cities.
The defendants were brought to trial on charges of: “bribing; Bribery; Violating regulations on bidding causes serious consequences; violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste; taking advantage of position and power while performing official duties; taking advantage of influence over people with positions and powers for personal gain.”
According to the indictment of the Hanoi Procuracy, in early 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, knowing that the Ministry of Science and Technology had a policy of researching biological products for epidemic prevention, the General Director of the Joint Stock Company Viet A Phan Quoc Viet asked to join the project. After that, Viet A was allowed to cooperate with the Military Medical Academy of the Ministry of Defense to carry out a research project on producing Covid-19 test kits, the total cost from the budget for this project is VND19 billion.
In fact, this is a blatant “fraud” project. The parties involved took the amount of VND18.98 billion to divide among themselves, without conducting any research.
Chu Ngoc Anh, former Minister of Science and Technology and later held the position of chairman of Hanoi People Committee, was prosecuted for “violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste” also because of its involvement in this “scam” project.
According to Vietnamese press, Chu Ngoc Anh received a bag containing $200,000 brought by Phan Quoc Viet as a gift right at the Minister’s office, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Science and Technology. But Chu Ngoc Anh claimed that he forgot and “did not know there was money in his pocket.”
Conclusion of the Ministry of Public Security’s investigation, when receiving the blue bag containing $200 thousand, Chu Ngoc Anh did not look carefully at what was inside, and said “thank you.” Therefore, that money is considered a gift, not a bribe.
Immediately after being transferred the process of researching and producing “pretend” test kits, Phan Quoc Viet carried out procedures to apply for a license for circulation and commercial business. At the same time, importing packaged test kits from Viet A Company of unknown origin, originating from a “strange” country, to serve the Ministry of Health’s anti-epidemic work.
In order to participate in “research,” issue “product registration numbers, negotiate prices,” according to the investigation conclusion, Phan Quoc Viet was accused of bribing VND106 billion (about $4.3 million) for 6 related officials.
Tuoi Tre newspaper said, talking about Nguyen Thanh Long – Minister of Health, ” Long has the role of implementing and supervising epidemic prevention work, but was arrested for violations related to the case.” Viet A Company bribed officials with hundreds of billions of dong (equivalent to $2.25 million) to collude to raise the price of COVID-19 test kits.
After Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long was probted and detained in June 2022, Dan Viet newspaper said, ” Nguyen Thanh Long’s private residence is located in an adjacent villa area at 671 Hoang Hoa Tham, Tay Ho District” in Hanoi. This villa is estimated to be worth about VND30-40 billion (equivalent to $1.2 million-1.6 million).
Similarly, according to Dan Tri newspaper: “After Chu Ngoc Anh was probed by the Police and his home was searched, social networks were abuzz with the image of his family’s ‘huge villa located in the Vinhomes Gardenia urban area (Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi). Real estate traders estimate that the value of this villa is about VND80–100 billion.”
The public wonders why the private homes of two officials such as former Ministers Nguyen Thanh Long and Chu Ngoc Anh, worth tens of billions, have existed blatantly in broad daylight for many years, yet the Agency Anti-corruption department doesn’t even know about it? Is it true that the two senior officials just mentioned, according to public opinion, are General Secretary Trong’s juniors?
What do the things just mentioned have to do with the policy of “dividing” and handling criminals in the Viet A case to reduce the crimes of corrupt officials of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Public opinion sees that the Viet A case has not yet been tried, but the General Secretary has tried every way to rescue the corrupt officials, so what else can we expect?
Thoibao.de (Translated)
