Phan Quoc Viet's accomplice asked to be tried in absentia.

On the morning of January 3, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Viet A Company Phan Quoc Viet and two former Ministers Nguyen Thanh Long and Chu Ngoc Anh along with 35 defendants appeared in court in the Viet A case.

During the trial proceedings, defendant Tran Thi Hong (born in 1995, employee of Viet A Company), submitted a request to be tried in absentia on the grounds that she had just given birth to a child.

The Procuracy requested the Panel of Judges to consider and decide on the absence of the defendant Hong and many other individuals and organizations. Because the trial lasted for many days, the Procuracy requested the Panel of Judges to continue to summon people with related rights and obligations.

After deliberation, the panel of judges believes that defendant Hong's absence has a legitimate reason and does not affect the trial of the case. Therefore, the panel of judges accepts defendant Hong's absence. The panel of judges will continue to summon the absent persons.

According to the indictment, defendant Tran Thi Hong knew that the public medical facilities used the test kits first and then colluded to legalize the bidding procedure and settle the payment at the price offered by Viet A Company, which was against the law.

However, defendant Hong still carried out the instructions of Phan Quoc Viet - Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Viet A Company and Vu Dinh Hiep - Deputy General Director of Viet A Company, legalizing the procedures and documents so that Viet A Company could win the bid and be paid in violation of regulations.

Tran Thi Hong assisted Phan Quoc Viet and Vu Dinh Hiep in violating bidding regulations in 11 provinces including Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Ninh Thuan, Hanoi, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Nghe An, causing a total loss to the state budget of more than 254 billion VND.

The defendant's actions constituted the crime of Violating bidding regulations causing serious consequences.

According to the indictment, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the Government and the Ministry of Science and Technology assigned scientific units to proactively research and manufacture biological products to serve the work of epidemic prevention and control.
With the purpose of allowing Viet A Company to participate in the research project on test kits, then appropriate and turn the test into the company's product for production and consumption, Phan Quoc Viet colluded with Trinh Thanh Hung (former Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology) to have Viet A approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology to participate in coordinating with the Military Medical Academy to carry out the project.
Phan Quoc Viet then asked Nguyen Van Trinh (former official of the Government Office), Nguyen Thanh Long (former Minister of Health)... to intervene, influence, and direct Viet A to be granted a temporary circulation registration number by the Ministry of Health and officially register for circulation of the COVID-19 test kit.
When Viet A commercially produced and sold 200,000 test kits to the Ministry of Health, Viet inflated the unit price structure but was still negotiated by the Ministry of Health, determining the price of 470,000 VND/test kit without basis.
Phan Quoc Viet bribed Nguyen Thanh Long with 2.25 million USD (51 billion VND), Nguyen Huynh (defendant Long's secretary) with 4 billion VND, Nguyen Minh Tuan (former Director of the Department of Medical Equipment and Construction, Ministry of Health) with 300,000 USD (6.9 billion VND), Trinh Thanh Hung with 350,000 USD (8 billion VND); Nguyen Nam Lien (former Director of the Department of Financial Planning, Ministry of Health) with 100,000 USD (about 2.3 billion VND).
In addition, Phan Quoc Viet also paid "thank you" money to defendant Nguyen Van Trinh (former Government Office official) 200,000 USD and former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh 200,000 USD (about 4.6 billion VND).

Wisdom

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