Earlier, the Ministry of Public Security’s investigative police had completed and released its investigation conclusions into the case.
According to the indictments, VFA is a specialized agency tasked with advising and assisting the Minister of Health in State management and law enforcement in the field of food safety. However, between 2018 and 2025, taking advantage of loopholes and ambiguities in legal regulations, a number of current and former leaders, along with officials and specialists from professional units under the department, colluded with individuals and businesses to engage in systematic bribery in key regulatory activities. These included the appraisal and issuance of certificates of receipt for product declaration dossiers, verification of advertising content, appraisal, post-inspection, and issuance of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certificates.
Investigators determined that under Government Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, issued on February 2, 2018, organizations and individuals producing or trading health-protection foods, food additives with new uses, or additives not yet listed for permitted use were required to register product declarations with the Ministry of Health. As the decree introduced many new provisions, it posed significant difficulties for businesses in preparing dossiers, particularly requirements for scientific evidence substantiating product efficacy and dosage.
Exploiting these challenges, officials assigned to the Division for Food Product Management, the Division for Standards and Testing Management, and the Center for Food Safety Application and Training repeatedly issued requests for applicants to revise or supplement their dossiers. These requests were often vague and unclear, effectively prolonging processing times and delaying the issuance of certificates of receipt.
To expedite approvals, some individuals and service companies reached informal agreements with Food Safety Department specialists, committing to pay “extra fees” once certificates were granted. The payments typically ranged from VND5 million to VND10 million per dossier. These transactions were then reported by specialists to division heads and center directors, including Pham Van Hinh, former Head of the Food Poisoning and Information Monitoring Office; Le Hoang, former Deputy Director of VFA; and Dinh Quang Minh, former Director of the Center for Food Safety Application and Training. The payments were subsequently reported to Nguyen Thanh Phong, former Director of VFA, who approved the scheme. A profit-sharing mechanism was then agreed upon among department leaders, unit heads, and specialists.
In the appraisal of advertising content dossiers, the indictments state that responsibility was assigned by department leadership to the Food Poisoning and Information Monitoring Office. From August 2018, after Nguyen Thanh Phong authorized her to sign advertising verification certificates, Tran Viet Nga, former Deputy Director of VFA, instructed Tran Thi Thu Lieu, then acting Deputy Head of VFA, to impose a system of illegal collections beyond statutory fees. Under this arrangement, at least VND2 million per dossier was to be funneled to Nga. As a result, specialists demanded payments averaging between VND4 million and VND9 million per dossier from businesses seeking approval.
Bribery was also uncovered in the issuance of GMP certificates. From 2020 to 2024, Nguyen Nang Manh, Executive Director of MediPhar and MediUSA, allegedly reached agreements to pay money to Cao Van Trung, Head of the Food Poisoning and Information Monitoring Office, who then passed the funds to Nguyen Thanh Phong and Nguyen Hung Long. In return, the officials were asked to facilitate early appraisal schedules and overlook deficiencies so that Manh’s two factories could obtain GMP certification.
Before the GMP certificates expired, Manh reportedly continued to offer payments to expedite the re-appraisal process and to bypass violations and shortcomings identified during reassessment and post-inspection, thereby enabling the renewal of the GMP certificates.
The prosecution alleges that, between 2018 and 2024, Nguyen Thanh Phong and 33 other defendants—former leaders, officials, and specialists of VFA, along with related individuals—abused their positions and authority across three regulatory areas, accepting bribes from 21 defendants representing businesses and service providers. The total amount of bribes allegedly received reached nearly VND94 billion in the issuance of product declaration certificates, more than VND12.7 billion in advertising verification, and over VND1 billion in GMP certification.
Nguyen Thanh Phong alone is accused of accepting bribes totaling more than VND94.8 billion, from which he allegedly personally benefited by nearly VND44 billion.
All 55 defendants have been indicted and will stand trial before the Hanoi People’s Court in the coming period.
The indictments also detail alleged wrongdoing by several former senior officials of VFA. Tran Viet Nga, former Deputy Director, is accused of receiving more than VND12.7 billion and personally benefiting by over VND8 billion. Nguyen Hung Long, also a former Deputy Director, allegedly bears criminal liability for more than VND22.5 billion and is said to have benefited by over VND8.6 billion.
Do Huu Tuan, another former Deputy Director, is accused of responsibility for more than VND10.9 billion and personal gains exceeding VND4.3 billion. Dinh Quang Minh, former Director of the Center for Food Safety Application and Training, allegedly bears criminal liability for more than VND62.1 billion and benefited by over VND10.2 billion. Pham Van Hinh, former Head of the Division for Food Product Management, is accused of responsibility for more than VND15 billion, with personal gains of VND980 million.
