Former Directors of the Food Safety Department, Nguyen Thanh Phong and Tran Viet Nga - Photo: Archival
The case involving two former leaders of the Food Safety Department ( Ministry of Health ) exposes a disturbing truth: official signatures have been turned into commodities, clearly priced and operating smoothly as a "secret process" that has existed for many years.
When a department head's signature costs "at least 2 million dong," it's no longer just a story of personal corruption, but a sign of a systemic disease.
In state administration, a signature is not simply the final stroke of ink on a document. It is a legal guarantee, a social trust placed in a person representing public power to fulfill the State's responsibilities to society and its citizens.
When that signature is intentionally delayed, rejected for vague reasons, or held onto beyond the deadline to extort money from businesses, the signature ceases to be a tool for public service and becomes a tool for personal gain.
What's even more concerning is that this wasn't an isolated incident. The investigation concluded that there was a well-organized system of profit-sharing, extending from department heads, deputy heads, case handlers, to external service providers.
Each stage "knows its part," each document represents a revenue stream, and each signature represents a unit price.
From 2 to 8 million VND per food advertising application, and a total of over ten trillion VND collected over many years. This is not "petty corruption" but organized corruption, deeply rooted in the administrative process.
What angers society is not just the amount of money involved, but the far-reaching consequences. Food safety is directly related to public health.
Every opaquely issued advertising content approval certificate, every processed application expedited with money, carries the risk that substandard products will still reach consumers. When personal gain infiltrates the final control point, the risk falls on the health of the people themselves.
The incident also illustrates a familiar vicious cycle: applications are hampered, and businesses are forced to "understand the law through bribery." Many justify their actions by saying they "gave money to get things done," that "everyone does it," or that "if you don't give money, the application will just sit there."
And it is this compromise that fosters a shadow market of power, where the law is distorted for nefarious purposes. If official signatures can be valued, then the rule of law is eroded.
The state governs by law, not by personal favors. A healthy administration must make it clear to businesses and citizens: correct applications will be processed on time, incorrect ones will be returned with specific reasons, without the need for "connections" or "thanks". When citizens are forced to find alternative routes, it means the main path has been blocked.
This case is therefore a major test of the determination to fight corruption in the specialized management sector. The prosecution and investigation of numerous officials, including top leaders, signals that there are no "forbidden zones".
But criminal prosecution is only addressing the symptom. The root cause lies in institutional reform: standardizing processes, increasing transparency in assessment criteria, comprehensive digitalization, reducing discretionary power, and, most importantly, holding individuals accountable for every signature.
The signature of the director, or any official for that matter, must not be a privileged or self-serving act. It must remain in its proper place – an impartial legal act, subject to oversight and ultimately accountable.
When a signature truly represents public authority, businesses don't need to "thank" anyone, citizens don't need to worry, and social trust has a chance to be restored. A public signature shouldn't have a monetary value; its value lies solely in its legal standing and the common good.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chu-ky-cua-cuc-truong-20251224075449833.htm
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