Former Police Officer Allegedly Leaked Classified Information to Counterfeiter

During a trial at the Hanoi People's Court on July 27, Nguyen Danh Dung, 38, a former officer from the Environmental Crime Prevention Department (C05), stood accused of leaking classified work secrets. His acquaintance, Nguyen Nang Manh, CEO of MediUSA, a company involved in producing and trading counterfeit food and health products, was also prosecuted for related offenses. According to the indictment, around April 2025, when the Investigation Agency for Corruption, Economic Crimes, and Smuggling (C03) began probing alleged counterfeit production within MediUSA's "ecosystem," Dung allegedly leveraged his acquaintance with Manh to inform him that his business was under investigation and to advise on destroying evidence. Testifying in court, Manh stated he met Dung around 2020 through professional connections and knew him as an environmental officer. Manh had asked Dung for general assistance should any issues arise. In April 2025, upon hearing that "many parties were looking into" his company, Manh proactively contacted Dung. Manh testified that they met twice at cafes, two days apart. During the first meeting, Dung allegedly showed Manh a message from his unit's leadership stating "security is investigating these 6 companies." As Manh's companies were among those listed, he expressed "great fear" and asked for advice. Dung reportedly advised him to "reduce production, no need to stop completely, but discard any accounting documents and external data." Manh subsequently instructed his subordinates to destroy all actual accounting books and computer hard drives containing counterfeit production data, discarding them into the Red River. Two days later, they met again. Manh presented Dung with an envelope containing 30 million VND, claiming it was a "gift for meeting after a long time, on the occasion of April 30th." Dung confirmed showing Manh the classified message, admitting it was an unauthorized disclosure due to "incomplete awareness" leading to a mistake. He also acknowledged advising Manh on handling goods and records but claimed he was unaware of the large scale of the counterfeiting operation, stating he was "shocked" when informed by investigators. Dung asserted the 30 million VND was not a reward for leaking secrets and had been handed over to investigators. Besides Dung, three former customs officers and health officials are prosecuted for bribery. Several former leaders and officials from the Food Safety Authority have also been tried in separate cases related to health supplement licensing. The trial is expected to last five days. Source: VnExpress