Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, former director of the Department of Food Safety - Photo: BYT
Regarding the case of dismantling a production and trading ring of hundreds of tons of fake functional foods led by Nguyen Nang Manh, on May 13, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency (C03) announced that it had issued a decision to prosecute and search warrants for 5 officers of the Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health, for accepting bribes.
5 officials of the Food Safety Department were prosecuted
Based on collected documents and evidence, the Department of Investigation Police on crimes of corruption, economy, and smuggling has prosecuted and issued a search warrant for Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong - former Director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health;
Dinh Quang Minh - Director of the Center for Food Safety Application and Training, Nguyen Thi Minh Hai - Deputy Director of the Center for Food Safety Application and Training, Le Thi Hien - Center specialist and Cao Van Trung, Deputy Head of Poisoning Monitoring Department.
These people were all prosecuted for bribery.
Including applying preventive measures prohibiting Nguyen Thi Minh Hai from leaving her place of residence; arresting and detaining the remaining 4 defendants.
The Ministry of Public Security's investigation police agency has clarified the violations of the Food Safety Department's officers in the appraisal and post-inspection.
Including the act of granting 4 certificates of food safety facilities meeting good manufacturing practice requirements (GMP certificates) to MediPhar Factory and MEDIUSA Factory, granting 20 certificates of product registration acceptance to a group of 9 companies of Nguyen Nang Manh.
Currently, the authorities are consolidating documents and evidence to clarify the criminal acts of the defendants and expand the investigation of the case.
Production and trade of hundreds of tons of fake functional foods only meeting 30% of quality standards
Defendants Nguyen Nang Manh and Pham Thi Huong - Photo: Provided by the police
Previously on April 26, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency announced that it had initiated a case of manufacturing and trading in counterfeit food, food additives and violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences.
The police investigation agency also prosecuted the accused, issued arrest warrants, and search warrants for five people including:
- Nguyen Nang Manh (Director of MegaPhaco Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MEDIUSA Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Hoang Mai district, Hanoi);
- Do Manh Hoang (Director of MediPhar Company);
- Khuc Minh Vu (Director of Viet Duc Company);
- Pham Thi Huong (accountant in charge of 4 companies MediPhar, MEDIUSA, MegaLife, Hung Phuong);
- Le Thi Toan (treasurer of 6 companies MediPhar, MEDIUSA, MegaLife, Hung Phuong, MegaPhaco, Viet Duc).
According to the investigation, since 2016, Nguyen Nang Manh and his accomplices have established and operated many companies to legalize the production and trade of fake functional foods, from the stage of importing raw materials to production, packaging, and consumption on the market.
This group uses two accounting systems (one for internal accounting and one for tax declaration and payment) to reduce the amount of tax payable, causing tax losses to the State.
Police determined that the suspects used the trick of printing on the packaging and labels of products as imported from the US, Europe... but in reality, they were mainly imported from China and bought illegally on the market.
Regarding quality indicators, many components only achieved less than 30% of the announced standards. When suspected of being investigated, the suspects dispersed and destroyed raw materials and products, and closed the factory.
The consumers that this group aims to sell products to are mainly focused on the elderly and children.
Searching warehouses and a number of business establishments, the Ministry of Public Security seized an exceptionally large quantity of functional foods, diverse in types, widely distributed throughout the country, with a total of about 100 tons of functional foods seized.
Bribe over 1 billion VND to reduce the number of errors during appraisal
According to documents from the investigation agency, since 2016, Nguyen Nang Manh, Do Manh Hoang, and Khuc Minh Vu have organized and operated 9 companies, the MediPhar Factory and the MEDIUSA Factory, producing and consuming counterfeit functional foods in exceptionally large quantities and with diverse types.
According to regulations, the condition for producing functional foods is that the factory must be assessed by the Food Safety Department and granted a GMP certificate with a validity of 3 years.
In addition, the condition for consuming functional foods on the market is that the product must be granted a certificate of product quality standards by the Food Safety Department.
To produce and consume fake functional foods on the market, Nguyen Nang Manh and Do Manh Hoang agreed to pay "lobby" money to the Food Safety Department for product appraisal, post-inspection and licensing.
In order for MEDIUSA and MediPhar factories to be assessed, post-inspected, granted GMP certificates and put into production soon, Manh and Hoang paid the assessment inspection team (chaired by the Food Safety Department) more than 1 billion VND to reduce the number of errors during assessment, to be instructed on how to fix them, and to be given time to fix the errors.
Authorities accused MEDIUSA and MediPhar of only doing a cursory, formal, and perfunctory job of fixing the error.
Cao Van Trung also only evaluated the two companies' reports on overcoming shortcomings based on the documents and photos sent by the two companies, without checking their authenticity.
Since then, the Food Safety Department has issued 4 GMP certificates to MEDIUSA Company and MediPhar Company, creating conditions for MEDIUSA Company and MediPhar Company to produce fake food in large quantities.
The Investigation Police Agency also clarified violations in the issuance of product declaration certificates.
According to the investigation, the product announcement license application of Nguyen Nang Manh's group of companies did not have to be amended or supplemented many times, prolonging the licensing process or not granting a license.
Nguyen Nang Manh and Do Manh Hoang directed employee Hoang Thi Huong to give more than 2 billion to the specialist receiving product declaration license applications at the Food Safety Department.
Since then, the leaders and staff of the Food Safety Department have facilitated the licensing of 207 products for nine groups of companies of Nguyen Nang Manh.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bat-tam-giam-nguyen-cuc-truong-cuc-an-toan-thuc-pham-bo-y-te-cung-4-dong-pham-20250513164600081.htm
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