Today, the appeals court hears the case of importing counterfeit cancer drugs.

This case caused a public outcry due to the act of importing counterfeit cancer drugs to bid on and sell at hospitals.

This morning (October 19), the High People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City will hear the appeal in the case of smuggling and forgery of documents and seals of organizations that occurred at VN Pharma Joint Stock Company.

Earlier, at the end of August, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court sentenced defendants Nguyen Minh Hung (former Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of VN Pharma Joint Stock Company) and Vo Manh Cuong (Director of H&C International Maritime Trading Company Limited) to 12 years in prison each for the crime of "smuggling".

The defendants at the first-instance trial (photo: DT)

The accomplices were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 2 years (suspended) to 5 years for the crimes of "Smuggling" and "Forging seals and documents of organizations and agencies." In addition to these sentences, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court also recommended that the competent authorities investigate and clarify the responsibilities of several related individuals, clarify the responsibilities of officials from the Drug Administration Department under the Ministry of Health, and investigate the payment of commissions to doctors.

However, following this verdict, public opinion and many experts disagreed, arguing that the court's ruling was incorrect in terms of the charges and that the sentences were not commensurate with the defendants' criminal acts. Furthermore, the responsibility of the leaders of the Drug Administration Department has not been adequately addressed.

Subsequently, the High People's Procuracy in Ho Chi Minh City issued a decision to appeal the verdict, requesting the same court to overturn the initial judgment issued by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court and order a reinvestigation. The defendants in the case also filed appeals claiming innocence, requesting reduced sentences, and asking the appellate court to reconsider the nature of the case.

The trial is expected to continue until tomorrow (October 20th).

According to VOV