HCMC – Former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A Technology Corporation, have lodged their appeals against the first-instance imprisonment sentences for their violations in the Viet A test kit price gouging case.
Since it handed down sentences against 38 defendants in the case more than a month ago, the Hanoi People’s Court has received the appeals from 12 individuals.
Long and Viet are among those appealing for a reduction in their penalties, while Vu Dinh Hiep, deputy general director of Viet A, has requested his case to be reconsidered.
Other defendants are also seeking mitigations of their sentences, including Trinh Thanh Hung, former deputy head of the Department of Science and Technology; Pham Duy Tuyen, former director of the Center for Disease Control in Hai Duong Province; Nguyen Nam Lien, former head of the health ministry’s Financial Planning Department; Tran Thi Hong, an employee in Viet A; and Le Thi Hong Xuyen, a former employee of Binh Duong CDC.
The court in Hanoi announced its sentences against 38 defendants in the Viet A case on the afternoon of January 12. Nguyen Thanh Long received a jail sentence of 18 years for accepting bribes, while Phan Quoc Viet got 29 years behind bars for having given bribes and violating bidding regulations.
Vu Dinh Hiep was sentenced to 15 years in prison for violating bidding regulations and giving bribes. Trinh Thanh Hung received a 14-year prison term for bribery.
Other defendants received sentences for multiple charges including giving bribes, accepting bribes, abusing authority while on duty, violating bidding regulations, and leveraging influence over others for personal gains.
