Former Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long's urgings to accept million-dollar bribes

After Viet A Company participated in the Project of researching and manufacturing test kits, Viet met and asked Nguyen Thanh Long to create favorable conditions to help Viet A Company get a registration number for circulation and consumption of test kits. Nguyen Thanh Long agreed and assigned Nguyen Huynh, Deputy Head of Price Management Department, Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health, former Secretary of Nguyen Thanh Long, to be the contact point with Viet to help Viet A Company.

After being directed by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long to meet Huynh, Viet asked and was intervened by Huynh, influencing Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director and Ms. Dao Phuong Linh, specialist of the Department of Medical Equipment & Construction in granting registration numbers for circulation of test kits; introducing and influencing Mr. Dang Duc Anh, Director and Ms. Le Thi Quynh Mai - Deputy Director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in testing the quality of test kits; proposing Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long to issue instructions on the procedure for granting emergency registration numbers to have a basis for granting temporary registration numbers for test kits of Viet A Company; influencing the inspection team led by Mr. Nguyen Nam Lien to delay the conclusion of the inspection of the negotiated price of test kits.

At the same time, knowing that the COVID-19 test kit is owned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the application for a circulation registration number of Viet A Company is not qualified, in addition to asking Huynh to intervene and influence, Viet also continued to collect information related to the test kit and transfer it to Huynh so that Huynh could report to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long to intervene and influence Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Medical Equipment & Construction, Vice Chairman of the Circulation Registration Council (assigned by the Ministry of Health to chair the meeting of the Diagnostic Biological Registration Council) to help Viet A Company get a registration number.

During the process of Viet A Company producing and consuming test kits, Viet continued to ask and was intervened by defendants Nguyen Thanh Long and Nguyen Huynh to influence the Ministry of Health to allocate 200,000 test kits to units and localities across the country. From there, medical units and facilities knew that Viet A Company's test kits were the main products used by the Ministry of Health in epidemic prevention and control and would contact to buy them when needed; intervened, influenced, and directed defendant Nguyen Nam Lien to let the Ministry of Health use funding from commercial banks to pay for the purchase of 200,000 test kits for Viet A Company; introduced to leaders of several provinces and cities for Viet A Company to consume and sell COVID-19 test kits.

To thank the defendants Nguyen Thanh Long and Nguyen Huynh for intervening and influencing Viet A Company to be granted a circulation registration number, negotiate prices and check negotiated prices, produce and consume test kits at inflated prices that Viet had raised, and illegally profited, Phan Quoc Viet gave Nguyen Thanh Long a total of 2.25 million USD and gave Nguyen Huynh 2 billion VND alone.

The first time, Viet directed Vu Dinh Hiep, Deputy General Director of Viet A Company, to give Nguyen Huynh 2 billion VND. Around the end of August 2020, when Viet went to Huynh's house for dinner, Huynh told Viet that Huynh had to borrow money from the bank to buy a Volvo XC90 car. Viet told Huynh that he would support part of the cost to thank him for helping Viet A Company. On January 22, 2021, Viet directed his staff to transfer 2 billion VND to Huynh to pay off the bank loan to buy the car. The money transfer took place near the Hanoi Hotel.

The second time, Viet gave Huynh 200 thousand USD at the end of December 2020. Nguyen Tien Duy, the driver of Viet A Company, drove Viet to Huynh's house. When arriving at Huynh's house, Viet carried a blue cloth bag with the logo of Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank printed on the outside, containing 200 thousand USD. Viet stood outside Huynh's house and waited for about 30 minutes before Huynh came back to open the door for both of them to enter the house. After entering the house, Huynh and Viet sat at the table drinking water in the living room on the first floor. After talking for about 5 minutes, Viet stood up, took the bag of money, put it on the table and said, "Here is 200 thousand USD, I need you to handle it with the boss (Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long - PV) for me", then Viet left.

The third time, around mid-January 2021, Huynh called Viet to discuss that Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long needed to raise a large amount of money to handle the work and asked Viet to transfer the money. Viet asked Huynh how much money and when it was needed so that Viet could arrange it, Huynh said it was up to Viet to arrange, if Viet could transfer a lot, Huynh would not have to mobilize other places. After that, Huynh told Viet that he needed about 1 million USD.

After talking to Huynh, Viet called an acquaintance to ask him to help him with 1 million USD. At the end of January 2021, Viet and some employees of Viet A Company went from Ho Chi Minh City to Hai Duong to participate in the epidemic prevention test, Viet brought 1 million USD with him. On February 8, 2021, Viet called Huynh to meet in Hanoi. Viet brought a suitcase containing 1 million USD. At Huynh's house, Viet gave Huynh a bag of money and said, "I'm sending you the money you told me to give to the boss the other day and a little bit to wish you a happy new year" (Viet gave Huynh another 2 billion VND to wish you a happy new year - PV). Huynh agreed and took the bag of money upstairs to put it away, then drove off to work.

The fourth time, Viet gave Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long 50 thousand USD. On June 29, 2021, Viet went to the Ministry of Health headquarters to ask Mr. Long to support the policy of developing a COVID-19 vaccine. When leaving, Viet took out a bag of 50 thousand USD wrapped in a small blue cloth bag from ACB Bank and gave it to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long and said: "I give lucky money to the children".

The fifth time, around the end of October 2021, Huynh texted Viet about Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long needing to raise a large amount of money to handle the work and asked Viet for support. Huynh told Viet to prepare 1 million USD to give to Long. Around the beginning of November 2021, Viet went to Hanoi and arranged to meet Huynh at a cafe near the Hanoi hotel. At the meeting, Huynh said he would take Viet to meet in person to give the money at Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long's house.

By late afternoon, Viet had brought 1 million USD in a large blue cloth bag with the logo of Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank printed on it, which Viet had prepared and brought from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. When he arrived, Viet called Huynh and Huynh told Viet to get the magnetic card (Huynh left it in the apartment's storage compartment on the first floor) so Viet could enter apartment 1707 to wait for Huynh and Long. About 30 minutes later, Huynh met Viet and there Viet transferred 1 million USD to Huynh to give to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long to take care of the work.