HCMC – The investigative agency has asked the Ministry of Transport to provide documents and information about repatriation flights and a list of companies licensed to conduct these flights for Vietnamese people stranded abroad during the pandemic.
Besides, a list of citizens on board these repatriation flights should also be provided to the agency.
The Ministry of Public Security’s Investigative Police Agency is collecting evidence to expand the probe into a bribery case at the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Transport was also asked to provide documents showing criteria and requirements on licensing airlines conducting repatriation flights for Vietnamese citizens and submit a list of officials assigned to license these airlines.
Earlier on January 28, the Investigative Police Agency filed charges against Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, head of the Consular Department; Do Hoang Tung, deputy head of the Consular Department; Le Tuan Anh, head of the department’s office; and Luu Tuan Dung, deputy head of the citizen protection division at the department. They were accused of allegedly taking bribes while licensing companies conducting repatriation flights for Vietnamese people.
Since the pandemic emerged in the country, more than 800 flights repatriating nearly 200,000 Vietnamese citizens from over 60 countries and territories have been operated, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, many people have complained about the high prices of tickets for repatriation flights over the past few months.
At the ministry’s press briefing on January 20, many reporters asked whether there was any profiteering from repatriation flights as the prices of tickets were much higher than normal.
Speaking at the press briefing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said those abusing these flights to make illegal gains must face strict penalties in line with the law.
