On the morning of 8/1, after three days of questioning, a representative from the Hanoi People's Procuracy (VKSND) announced its indictment for 55 defendants in a bribery case at the Food Safety Department.

Among the 34 individuals tried for receiving bribes, the Procuracy recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Phong. Former director Tran Viet Nga was recommended 12-13 years in prison, and former deputy director Nguyen Hung Long 11-12 years. The remaining defendants were recommended sentences ranging from suspended sentences to a maximum of 8-9 years in prison.

For the 21 individuals accused of giving bribes, the Procuracy recommended sentences from 15-18 months suspended to a maximum of 5-6 years in prison.

According to the Procuracy, the defendants' actions caused political and social harm, impacting public health. These State officials abused their authority to create a "give-and-take" mechanism, forcing businesses to pay money. Furthermore, many individuals proactively offered money to expedite their work and accelerate document processing.

The Procuracy urged the Trial Panel to impose strict penalties on the masterminds, ringleaders, and those in positions of power. Defendants with secondary roles, who acted under the direction of superiors, should receive mitigated sentences.

More details on the recommended sentences for the 44 defendants are available.

Former director Nguyen Thanh Phong being escorted to court. Photo: Pham Du

During the three previous days of trial, none of the defendants denied the Procuracy's accusations of giving and receiving bribes. However, former directors Phong and Nga stated they did not create the mechanism. Phong testified that initially, administrative procedures under Decree 15 encountered few difficulties, but from around May to early June 2018, applications became increasingly backlogged, even "very severe".

He claimed to have been conscious of resolving administrative procedures to reduce pressure on the entire unit. He stated that in the early period, "there were no money matters", but later, payments emerged because applications were processed very quickly. After receiving "gratitude money" from businesses, he accepted whatever amount his subordinates brought him.

Tran Viet Nga, Phong's successor, was responsible for issuing advertising content confirmation certificates. The prosecution accused Nga of requiring specialists to collect at least two million dong for department leaders for each submitted application, but to do so "discreetly and subtly".

However, in court, Nga repeatedly affirmed her statement that she "did not create the mechanism". She also denied directing the establishment of criteria or templates for collecting specific amounts or agreeing on profit-sharing ratios. Conversely, her direct subordinates testified that Nga was the one who directed the money collection mechanism.

Former deputy director Do Huu Tuan at court. Photo: Linh Dan

Nga's husband, Le Hoang, was also accused of receiving nearly one billion dong in bribes in this case. In court, Hoang testified that based on a specialist's proposal, he sought and received the director's approval to accept "gratitude money" from businesses, though the profit-sharing ratio was not specified. From December 2022, he directed a halt to accepting money from businesses due to the exposure of numerous bribery cases.

The 21 defendants in the bribery-giving group provided two differing accounts. Most claimed they faced difficulties when submitting applications and subsequently had to pay "mechanism money" as suggested by specialists. The payments aimed to receive guidance for complete documentation and prompt approval, not to overlook violations. The remaining defendants stated they "proactively offered gratitude money" to expedite their work.

According to the indictment, former directors Phong and Nga, along with 32 subordinates, abused their authority to receive bribes from 21 business individuals. The total amount of bribes received for issuing acceptance certificates was 93,7 billion dong, for advertising confirmation certificates was 12,7 billion dong, and for GMP certificates was one billion dong.

Phong personally profited 43,9 billion dong in his role as the director. Nga personally profited 8 billion dong, also as a director. Former deputy director Nguyen Hung Long profited 8,6 billion dong, and former deputy director Do Huu Tuan profited 4,3 billion dong.

The 21 defendants prosecuted for giving bribes collectively paid 77,4 billion dong. The police are continuing to clarify the remaining 27,5 billion dong in bribes.

Pham Du - Thanh Lam