Appeals court hears case involving counterfeit cancer drugs.
The Ho Chi Minh City High Court today summoned nearly 200 people to an appeal hearing, including the former chairman of VN Pharma and his accomplices involved in trafficking 9,300 boxes of counterfeit cancer medication.
The panel of judges consists of three senior judges, with Mr. Vo Van Khoa presiding. The trial is expected to last until February 11th.
In the first-instance trial held last October, Nguyen Minh Hung (42 years old, former Chairman of VN Pharma) was sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court to 17 years in prison for the crime of...The trade involves selling counterfeit medicines.Hung accepted the sentence and did not appeal. However, due to his role as the mastermind, Hung (along with 11 accomplices) was still summoned to the appellate court for a comprehensive review of the case.
To facilitate the trial, the court also summoned members of the Expert Council from the Ministry of Health, VN Pharma Company, the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Drug Testing, the Drug Administration of Vietnam, and more than 180 people with related rights and obligations, including witnesses.
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Nguyen Minh Hung during his court appearance last October. Photo: Huu Khoa. |
According to the initial verdict, in 2013, Hung ordered H-Capita 500mg (a cancer drug) from Vo Manh Cuong (Director of H&C International Maritime Trading Company) - a representative of Helix Canada. Because the partner could not provide the required documents, Hung instructed his subordinates to hire a pharmacist to write the drug's technical dossier, forge seals and documents to submit to the Drug Administration for approval, and then successfully imported 9,300 boxes of H-Capita 500mg into Ho Chi Minh City.
The defendants also inflated the price of the medicine from $27 to $75, concealing the difference of over 6.8 billion VND in the accounting records for drug sales. Suspecting the origin of the batch of medicine, the Drug Administration inspected and sealed it, preventing its sale on the market. Authorities determined that Helix Canada was a fictitious company, not licensed to operate in the pharmaceutical industry. The medicine was found to be counterfeit in terms of origin and quality, and "unsuitable for treating human diseases." According to the shipping documents, the H-Capita medicine was manufactured in India, transported via Singapore, and then imported into Vietnam.
Last October, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court sentenced Vo Manh Cuong to 20 years in prison for the crime in its first-instance trial.The trade involves selling counterfeit medicines.The other defendants received sentences ranging from 3 years (suspended sentence) to 12 years in prison. Cuong appealed, claiming innocence, while most of the remaining defendants requested leniency.
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Vo Manh Cuong is considered to have played an equally important role as Nguyen Minh Hung in the case. Photo: Huu Khoa. |
During the second phase of the investigation into irregularities at VN Pharma, on October 31, 2019, Nguyen Minh Hung and six accomplices were further prosecuted for their actions.The trade involves selling counterfeit medicines.
Initial investigations determined that Hung instructed his subordinates to falsify licensing documents and colluded with Vo Manh Cuong to purchase four types of antibiotics: Kafotax-1000, Kaderox-250, H2K Levfloxacin, and H2K Coprofloxacin. These drugs were of unknown origin and had been smuggled into Vietnam by VN Pharma and subsequently sold off.
Regarding the irregularities at the Drug Administration in granting licenses to VN Pharma to import counterfeit drugs, in September 2019, the Security Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security initiated a criminal case.Irresponsibility resulting in serious consequences.but the results of the investigation have not yet been announced.
