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Vietnam: Former CDC Director, Others Convicted in COVID-19 Procurement Fraud
In Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, a former director of the Binh Thuan Provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the former director of the Provincial General Hospital have been convicted in a case of fraudulent bidding for medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court found that the state budget suffered damages exceeding 67 billion VND (over $2.7 million USD).
In a significant ruling on July 29, the Lam Dong Provincial People's Court sentenced Dinh The Hung, former Director of the Binh Thuan Provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Nguyen Van Thanh, former Director of the Provincial General Hospital, to three years and two and a half years in prison, respectively. They were convicted of violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences under Article 222 of the Penal Code. Vo Thi Minh Thao, a former employee of the Provincial General Hospital, Le Thuc Thien, Director of Trieu Tin Company, and Doan Thi My Chi, an employee of Minh Khoa Company, also received suspended prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 3 months to 1 year and 6 months for the same offense. According to the indictment, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mr. Thanh, as Director of the Binh Thuan Provincial General Hospital, instructed his subordinates to borrow testing kits from Hop Nhat Company and Realtime PCR testing systems from Viet A Company for immediate use. Subsequently, Mr. Thanh directed the procurement of price quotes and technical specifications from businesses, altering information in the bidding documents to legitimize payments to Minh Khoa, Hop Nhat, and Viet A. This action resulted in damages to the state budget exceeding 6 billion VND (approximately $250,000 USD). Ms. Chi was found to have provided the configuration, technical specifications, and price quotes for ventilators to Ms. Thao and Mr. Thien, enabling them to falsify bidding documents and limit competition from other bidders. She bears accomplice responsibility alongside Mr. Thanh. Regarding the violations at the Binh Thuan Provincial CDC, Mr. Hung, during his tenure, ordered the borrowing of testing kits, chemicals, and medical supplies from Hop Nhat Company. He then formalized the payment process under normal direct procurement procedures, ensuring the company won the bid. The total damages from these violations amounted to over 61.6 billion VND (approximately $2.5 million USD). Hung and Thanh were arrested on October 3, 2025, and were granted bail nearly three months later. Information Source: VnExpress
Original source
VnExpress