HCMC — The assets of Huynh Van Dong, director of Khanh Hoa Province’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), and nine other officials have been frozen over alleged violations in the procurement of Covid-19 test kits.
The provincial investigators said today, February 26, that they have requested the provincial Department of Justice to direct all notary services providers in the province to abstain from trading, transferring, presenting, or mortgaging assets associated with Dong, aged 55, and the nine officials.
The move came after investigators discovered alleged violations in the procurement of Covid test kits from Viet A Company by Khanh Hoa CDC, news site VnExpress reported.
The provincial Justice Department has updated the suspension of transactions linked to persons suspected of being involved in the irregularities on the notary system.
According to the provincial health authority, between 2020 and 2021, Khanh Hoa CDC bought 63,280 test kits manufactured by Viet A Company for over VND26.2 billion. In 2021 alone, the CDC bought 58,580 test kits worth VND23.823 billion, it said.
The procurement of the test kits was carried out through Hop Nhat Science Company through online bidding and touting. Each test kit was offered at VND367,500–VND509,250, the authority said.
After violations were detected at Viet A, the Ministry of Public Security’s investigators booked Phan Quoc Viet, the company’s chairman and general director, and 20 other persons for allegedly violating bidding regulations that caused serious consequences, giving and receiving bribes, and abusing power while on duty.
