Vietnamese authorities have arrested senior officials for bribery, including Chu Ngoc Anh, former Minister of Science and Technology, Nguyen Thanh Long, Minister of Health, and Pham Cong Tac, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.
The case against the officials stems from the inflation of COVID-19 test kit prices by the Viet-A Technology Corporation. Phan Quoc Viet admitted to raising the price of test kids up to 45 percent more than the original value and bribing the officials with VND 800 billion.
Following an investigation, the Investigation Police Agency of the Ministry of Public Security determined that Chu Ngoc Anh and Pham Cong Tac committed the crime of “Violating regulations on management and use of State assets, causing loss and waste,” and Nguyen Thanh Long committed the crime of “abusing positions and powers while performing official duties.” According to the Penal Code 2015 of Vietnam, Chu Ngoc Anh and Pham Cong Tac face 10-20 years imprisonment, and Nguyen Thanh Long faces 10-15 years.
After receiving the license from the Ministry of Health to register for circulation, the Viet-A company supplied test kits to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical facilities around the country. Police are also investigating directors of CDC, leaders of the related medical facilities, and relevant staff members.