After ten days of trials and deliberation, the Hanoi People’s Court this afternoon decided sentences to defendant Nguyen Thanh Long, former Minister of Health along with 37 others in the Viet A Company case and some relevant units.
Particularly, defendant Long got 18 years in prison for the crime of receiving bribes. Nguyen Huynh, his secretary was sentenced to nine years in jail for the same crime.
Besides, defendant Nguyen Minh Tuan, former director of the Medical Equipment and Construction Department under the Ministry of Health and Nguyen Nam Lien, former director of the Financial Planning Department under the Ministry of Health were sentenced to eight and seven years in prison, respectively.
Under the indictment, defendant Phan Quoc Viet, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Viet A Technologies Joint Stock Company allegedly colluded with defendants Nguyen Thanh Long, Nguyen Huynh and Nguyen Van Trinh to illegally earn profits from producing and trading test kits in the market.
Viet gave bribes many times with a total amount of US$3.45 million and VND4 billion (US$163,000) to ask for support and intervention from former leaders of ministries, agencies and localities.
Phan Quoc Viet was accused of causing damage with a total amount of more than VND1,200 billion (US$49 million), including more than VND431 billion (US$17.6 million) to the State budget. Of which, the total bribes that Viet dedicated to former leaders of ministries, agencies and localities was up to VND106 billion (US$4.3 million).
Notably, defendant Nguyen Thanh Long received the biggest bribe amount of up to US$2.25 million.
