Former director Huynh Nguyen Loc, 45, was the final defendant questioned by the Hanoi People's Court on the afternoon of 28/1. He faced accusations of accepting a 47 billion VND bribe from Pham Van Cach, owner of Son Lam pharmaceutical company.

This sum represented commission money the pharmaceutical company allegedly paid Loc for selling medicinal materials to the institute. In 61 instances of alleged bribery, Loc reportedly instructed his assistant, Pham Van Chuan, to collect the money on his behalf.

During the questioning session immediately preceding Loc's testimony, both Cach and Chuan confirmed the events as prosecuted. They also admitted to using slang code words to conceal these illicit transactions.

When it was his turn, Loc immediately drew attention with his opening remarks, criticizing the court for "violating procedural principles." He claimed the court failed to inform defendants of their rights during the preliminary proceedings and declared he would not answer any questions.

Some lawyers in the front row reminded him, "The court did inform everyone; weren't you paying attention?" Presiding Judge Dinh Quoc Tri restored order and asked the People's Procuracy representative to confirm whether the court had indeed disseminated this information. The prosecutor then stated that the court had fully complied, suggesting the defendant might not have been attentive at the time.

"So now I am a defendant, not a suspect, correct? Then I reserve my right not to answer any questions," former director Loc said.

"Does that mean you will not answer questions from the court, the procuracy, or the lawyers?" the presiding judge clarified. The defendant replied, "It's not that I won't answer, but that I am exercising my right to remain silent."

A representative of the Hanoi People's Procuracy in court. Photo: Danh Lam

However, as soon as the court began reading excerpts of his testimony from the investigation phase, Loc requested to speak, elaborating for nearly 10 minutes on "why he wanted to speak, and why he could not speak."

"During the investigation phase, there were 'very sensitive' matters related to the activities of agencies and individuals, so I could not fully disclose everything. My testimony during the investigation was only accurate for that period," Loc said. He added that he had waited over 420 days to present his case but decided not to speak further because he did not see the prosecutor who had taken his previous testimony present.

"He should, by law, be present here to answer my questions," the former director said.

The presiding judge stated that the defendant was mistaken about his rights, as the prosecutor's role is to maintain the prosecution in court, not to answer the defendant's questions. The presiding judge asked, "To conclude, will the defendant present his statement, or should the court proceed to disclose the remaining records of his testimony?"

Loc complained for another five minutes about procedural law before deciding to "tell everything."

Former director of the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Institute, Huynh Nguyen Loc. Photo: Danh Lam

Passive Receipt of Funds

Loc spoke for 10 minutes without addressing the main points, so the court interrupted to ask about the commission agreement.

Regarding Cach's testimony that the director actively proposed a commission rate of 20-25%, Loc denied it: "There was no commission agreement here. Saying there was a commission is slander and fabrication."

In his court testimony, Cach consistently stated he "proactively paid 71 billion VND in commission to avoid difficulties." However, according to director Loc, many people like himself found themselves in a situation of "passively receiving money."

Loc explained he "had no need to accept bribes, money was not important" because he had earned 50-60 million VND per month from his profession even as a student.

After much explanation, he admitted to taking money from Cach, but claimed it was to support field hospitals for Covid-19 prevention and control and to purchase equipment. He asserted that "receiving such support was not wrong."

Lawyers in court. Photo: Danh Lam

"So, the defendant admits to receiving money from Son Lam Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, through defendant Chuan?" the court asked. Loc corrected himself: "I didn't receive it; this was money Cach gave to Chuan. I only asked Chuan to collect it and put it into the epidemic prevention fund."

The defendant considered this a form of community and organizational support, not violating legal principles because the money was transferred to organizational accounts. However, he stated that the accused figure of 47 billion VND was unfounded, and the actual amount was only 13-14 billion VND.

According to the indictment, in 9/2021, director Loc donated 41 billion VND to the account of the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Association for Covid-19 prevention and control efforts. Of this, 14 billion VND was money "passively received" from Cach, with the remainder being Loc's personal funds.

The court requested he prove the source of these "personal funds," but Loc said this was a "sensitive" matter he did not wish to disclose during the investigation, adding, "If the court wants to know, I'll tell you later."

Loc's attitude prompted a strict reprimand from the presiding judge: "The court has no need to know; whether to testify or not is the defendant's right, and the defendant must maintain a serious demeanor."

Loc asserted he was very serious and "reported immediately" that it was money he had mobilized from close friends residing abroad. Having frequently assisted them with project consulting and specialized work knowledge, he received 10 billion VND as a gift from them, which he used when needed during the epidemic.

He also expressed pride that the money was used appropriately and beneficially, noting that the three field hospitals he directly commanded had no fatalities throughout seven months of the epidemic.

The court is continuing its work today.

Thanh Lam