On 14/7, the Ministry of Public Security announced that the Investigative Police Agency (C01) had prosecuted 18 people for giving bribes, receiving bribes, and forging documents at TSL Science Co., Ltd. and related agencies.
Among the accused are 15 current and former officials of the Ministry of Health, including former Director of the Food Safety Department Nguyen Thanh Phong; Deputy Director of the Disease Prevention Department Le Hoang; Head of the Standards and Testing Management Department Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan; and Head of the Food Poisoning Surveillance and Communication Department Pham Van Hinh.
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Former Director Nguyen Thanh Phong at the time of his arrest. Photo: Ministry of Public Security |
Former Director Nguyen Thanh Phong at the time of his arrest. Photo: Ministry of Public Security
According to the police, thousands of health supplement products must undergo product registration and dossier appraisal by the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health before production. One requirement is scientific evidence proving the product's efficacy.
However, in reality, businesses' dossiers often fall short. The investigative agency alleges that officials and leaders of the Food Safety Department used other documents to legitimize businesses' applications.
Hinh confessed that after signing the registration dossiers, businesses would send money to the specialists. Department leaders received 50% of this, with the remainder going to the department's general fund.
Initially, C01 determined that the accused received over 75 billion VND in bribes to fraudulently issue over 10,000 product registration certificates. Nguyen Thanh Phong alone allegedly received over 60 billion VND between 2015 and 2024.
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Deputy Director of the Disease Prevention Department at the Ministry of Health Le Hoang. Photo: Ministry of Health |
Deputy Director of the Disease Prevention Department at the Ministry of Health Le Hoang. Photo: Ministry of Health
On bribery charges, the police also arrested Pham Thi Loan, Director of Canada Vietnam International Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, and Tran Quang Hai, Director and legal representative of Fosy International Food Service Joint Stock Company. Nguyen Quang Hung, General Director of Novaco Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, is being investigated for forging official documents.
TSL Science Co., Ltd. has recently been implicated in a counterfeit health supplement production ring. In a case involving counterfeit Baby Shark and Medi Kid Calcium K2 products, Herbitech used TSL's fake test results to manufacture, process, and distribute products in the market.
In addition to this case, Phong and four other former Food Safety Department officials were prosecuted by C03 in a separate case involving MEDIUSA's production of hundreds of tons of counterfeit functional foods. Phong confessed that after each post-inspection, subordinates gave him a 50 million VND envelope, saying it was a "thank you" from the business. This occurred four times for issuing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates, once for re-issuing certificates for two factories, and once after a post-inspection.
