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Vietnam’s ex-health minister, Nguyen Thanh Long, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in a bribery scandal related to overpriced COVID-19 test kits. The scandal, known as the Viet A scandal, implicated numerous health officials and business figures who were found guilty of bribery, abuse of power, or other charges during a ten-day trial in Hanoi.
The case exposed corruption within the healthcare system, tarnishing Vietnam’s initially praised response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Long, who served as health minister from 2020 to 2022, was convicted of allegedly accepting bribes totaling $2.25 million. Despite his lawyer’s argument that Long did not actively seek the bribes, the court held him accountable for his involvement in the illicit transactions.
The scandal involved the company Viet A, accused of striking million-dollar deals to supply hospitals and local communities with overpriced testing equipment. The firm allegedly earned around $172 million from the scam, with $34 million used to bribe officials. Phan Quoc Viet, the CEO of Viet A, received a 29-year prison sentence for bribery and violating bidding regulations.
This case is part of Vietnam’s broader anti-graft campaign, led by Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong. The campaign has seen over 3,500 individuals indicted across more than 1,300 graft cases since 2021. The country’s commitment to combating corruption has resulted in the removal of high-ranking officials, including deputy prime ministers Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam in 2022.
