*Continuing updates

On 14/1, the Hanoi People's Court announced its verdict for 55 defendants involved in a bribery case concerning former leaders and officials at the Vietnam Food Administration (Ministry of Health).

Among the 34 individuals tried for bribery were two former director generals, Nguyen Thanh Phong and Tran Viet Nga, former deputy director general Nguyen Hung Long, and Ms. Nga's husband, Le Hoang, a former deputy director general of the Department of Disease Control.

The trial panel concluded that the defendants' criminal actions occurred over a prolonged period, involving collusion among various leaders and managers in state administration and law enforcement within the food safety sector.

These actions have eroded public trust and could lead to significant consequences, potentially allowing substandard or untraceable food products to circulate in the market, directly threatening consumer health and safety.

The trial was presided over by Judge Luu Ngoc Canh. *Photo: Pham Du*

Regarding the roles in the case, the court determined that former director generals Phong and Nga played primary roles. They initiated the policy of accepting money beyond official fees, established the distribution of bribe money, and directed subordinates to agree on the scheme.

The 34 defendants were held responsible for an exceptionally large total amount of bribes, reaching 93 billion VND. Of this, Mr. Phong received 44 billion VND and Ms. Nga received 8 billion VND, necessitating high penalties commensurate with their actions.

The verdict established that between 2018 and 2025, several leaders and specialists at the Vietnam Food Administration allegedly exploited vague legal regulations to create a systematic "ask-and-give" mechanism for receiving bribes across multiple management stages.

The irregularities primarily occurred during the appraisal and issuance of product declaration registration certificates, advertising content confirmation certificates, and GMP (good manufacturing practice) appraisal, post-inspection, and certification. The issuance of product declaration registration certificates was "quoted" at 5 to 10 million VND per dossier, facilitated through intermediary individuals and businesses.

Mr. Phong was accused of agreeing to allow specialists to accept money for expedited dossier processing and establishing a profit-sharing mechanism. Under this system, he received 2.5 to 3 million VND per dossier, with the remainder distributed among his subordinates.

The advertising content confirmation segment was managed by Ms. Nga during her tenure as deputy director general and later director general. Ms. Nga instructed specialists to "subtly" provide money to the administration's leadership, with a minimum of 2 million VND per dossier.

Tran Viet Nga, former director general of the Vietnam Food Administration. *Photo: Pham Du*

Subsequently, specialists directly collected money from businesses, ranging from 2 to 8 million VND, depending on the complexity of the advertising content and the demand for fast processing. The collected money was divided by rank, with Ms. Nga personally receiving 2 to 3.5 million VND per dossier.

From 2018 to the end of 2024, six specialists from the advertising department received a total of 12.7 billion VND. Ms. Nga benefited by 8 billion VND, and former deputy department head Tran Thi Thu Lieu received 1.5 billion VND. Other individuals received sums ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of VND.

Ms. Nga's husband, Le Hoang, while serving as head of the Standards and Testing Management Department, was also accused of participating in receiving and consolidating money from product declaration dossiers, benefiting by nearly one billion VND.

Investigators determined that Mr. Phong, Ms. Nga, and 32 subordinates received bribes totaling 93.7 billion VND for issuing product acceptance certificates, 12.7 billion VND for advertising permits, and one billion VND related to GMP, from 21 individuals and businesses.

The total amount of money the defendants were accused of giving as bribes was 77.4 billion VND, with an additional 27.5 billion VND still under investigation.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, former director general of the Vietnam Food Administration, Ministry of Health. *Photo: Pham Du*

During the trial, the defendants did not deny the accusations, but the two former director generals claimed they did not establish the mechanism. They stated that initially, "money matters" were absent, and the practice of giving money emerged later due to expedited dossier processing.

Mr. Phong testified that after receiving "thank you" money from businesses, he accepted whatever amount his subordinates offered.

Ms. Nga repeatedly asserted that she "did not establish a mechanism" and did not instruct on criteria for collecting specific amounts or agreed-upon sharing ratios.

Conversely, her direct subordinates testified that she did instruct them on the money collection mechanism.

The Procuracy affirmed that there was sufficient evidence for conviction, stating that the defendants' claims of "passively receiving money, without a mechanism" were inaccurate. They reasoned that if "officials acted correctly, businesses would not have to wait anxiously or offer money."

In their final statements, 40 of the 55 defendants wept, expressing profound apologies, remorse, and regret. The two former director generals "used what little honor remained" to apologize. They recognized that once entangled in imprisonment, wealth, positions, and fame became meaningless; their greatest desire was freedom.

Thanh Lam - Pham Du