Today, the court sentenced 2 former ministers and 36 defendants in the Viet A case.

After 10 days of trial and deliberation, on the afternoon of January 12, the Hanoi People's Court will sentence 38 defendants in the Viet A case for the crimes of: Giving bribes; Receiving bribes; Violating regulations on management and use of state assets causing loss and waste; Violating regulations on bidding causing serious consequences; Abusing position and power while performing official duties; and Abusing influence over people with positions and powers for personal gain.

The representative of the People's Procuracy affirmed that this is a typical case of "group interests," "interest groups" and "systematic collusion and corruption."

That is the collusion and conspiracy between enterprises and competent persons, for material benefits, which are contrary to the provisions of the law, creating conditions for enterprises to profit, causing damage to the State with especially serious consequences...

Mr. Chu Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Thanh Long in court.

The defendants' actions in the case also violated the proper functioning of agencies, organizations and individuals, causing a number of cadres and civil servants to degenerate and weaken the people's trust in the Party and State.

The prosecutor emphasized: In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak on a global scale, with a rapid and dangerous spread rate, causing serious damage to the lives and health of Vietnamese people in particular and the world in general; the State, Government and People are making efforts to fight, limit the spread and prevent the epidemic, a number of high-ranking leaders at central and local ministries and branches have colluded with businesses to take advantage of the epidemic situation to benefit from group interests, causing particularly serious damage to State assets.

The defendants helped Viet A Technology Joint Stock Company (Viet A Company) to coordinate and participate in the implementation of the National Research Project on COVID-19 test kits, with the Ministry of Science and Technology representing the owner.

Then, by many tricks, the defendants carried out a series of violations, turning the test kit from a research product of the State-owned Project into a product owned by Viet A Company, illegally producing and selling it nationwide at inflated prices, earning especially large illegal profits.

After legalizing the cooperation with the Military Medical Academy to carry out the illegal research project on manufacturing test kits, Phan Quoc Viet (Chairman of Viet A Company) continued to carry out the plan to turn the test kit from a product owned by the State into a product owned by Viet A Company through a series of actions:

Phan Quoc Viet helped Viet A Company get the test kit inspected; get the first phase of the Project accepted to prepare documents to send to the Ministry of Health for temporary and official circulation registration number; awarded a Certificate of Merit to polish the image and brand of the test kit;

Chairman of Viet A colluded with defendants from the Ministry of Health to negotiate at inflated prices, delayed checking negotiated prices to create a price level for test kits; introduced to provincial and city leaders to sell test kits commercially for illegal profits.

The People's Procuracy proposed Phan Quoc Viet be sentenced to 30 years in prison for two crimes: Violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences and Bribery.

Former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh was proposed to be sentenced to 3-4 years in prison for violating regulations on management and use of state assets, causing waste and loss.

Former Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long was proposed to be sentenced to 19-20 years in prison for accepting bribes.

Minh Tue

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