The Supreme People's Procuracy has issued an indictment to prosecute 55 defendants involved in a bribery case at the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health.
Among the high-ranking officials indicted for "Receiving Bribes" are Nguyen Thanh Phong (former Director of the VFA), Tran Viet Nga (former Director of the VFA), and Nguyen Hung Long (former Deputy Director of the VFA). They are charged alongside 31 other defendants for the same offense, while the remaining 21 defendants face charges of "Giving Bribes."
According to the indictment, the VFA is a specialized agency under the Ministry of Health responsible for advising the minister on State management and law enforcement regarding food safety.
However, between 2018 and 2025, the defendants exploited legal regulations to solicit and accept bribes in exchange for the appraisal and issuance of various permits. These included "product registration certificates," "advertising content confirmations," "post-inspection appraisals," and "Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates."
The investigation revealed that to expedite the processing of their dossiers, several service providers and businesses conspired with VFA officials to pay "unofficial fees." These payments averaged between VND5 million and 10 million ($190 - $380) per file, depending on the timeline and type of document.
The indictment further states that top leaders, including Nguyen Thanh Phong and Nguyen Hung Long, were aware of these activities and had approved the policy and the mechanism for distributing the illicit funds.
Accordingly, the total amount of bribes received by the defendants for issuing letters of receipt was more than VNS93.7 billion ($3.56 million); for issuing letters of confirmation was more than VND12.7 billion (nearly $483,000); and for issuing GMP certificates was more than VND1 billion ($38,000)
The Procuracy has held Nguyen Thanh Phong responsible for receiving a total of VND94.8 billion in bribes, from which he personally pocketed more than VND43.9 billion in his leadership role. Meanwhile, Nguyen Hung Long is held responsible for VND22.5 billion, and Tran Viet Nga for VND12.7 billion.
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