Vietnam jails 2 ex-ministers over COVID-19 test kits scandal

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Vietnam on Friday sentenced two former ministers and other officials to jail for bribery and violating regulations in the procurement of COVID-19 test kits.

The Hanoi People’s Court handed down an 18-year sentence to former Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, while Chu Ngoc Anh, former minister of Science and Technology, received a three-year prison term, Vietnam News reported.

Former deputy minister for Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac was also sentenced to three years for alleged violations of regulations on the management of state assets.

Several other officials from the health and science and technology ministries were accused of accepting significant bribes from a local company to approve their COVID-19 test kits.

The court announced sentences ranging from 20 months to over 13 years for 37 other officials from both ministries and the Viet company.

The police initiated the probe in December 2021.

Taking responsibility for the alleged violations committed by cabinet ministers, former President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned last year.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019, Vietnam reported over 11.5 million cases with 43,186 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.