Former food agency head charged in bribery probe
The former director of Food Administration of Vietnam is one of the many people who have been charged as part of a corruption investigation.
The Ministry of Public Security said that Nguyễn Thanh Phong was one of the 18 defendants.
An extended survey of corruption involves the Department of Food Security of the Ministry of Hanoi Health and Businesses and other provinces, such as TSL Science Company, which offers laboratory test services.
The case implies the approval of food supplements and functional registrations on food products.
Nguyễn Hùng Long, former deputy director of Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health, was also accused of having received bribes with three other accused.
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Nine other people, including Pham van Hinh, head of the Ministry of Food and Information and Communications, and Dinh Caong Dinh, specialist in the Ministry of Food and Information and Communications, have been temporarily held.
Nguyen Quang Hung, of Novaco Pharmaceutical, is accused of forging documents. Pham Thi Loan, director of Canada Vietnam International Pharmaceutical Company, and Tran Quang Hai, director of Fosi International Food Services Company, are suspected of giving bribes.
The search mandates for 25 locations, including the residences and the workplace of the defendants of Vietnam Food Administration and the Ministry of Health, were executed.
In May, five people were charged as part of an investigation into the production and trade of counterfeit goods. They understood Nguyễn Thanh Phong and the other four accused of receiving bribes in the last application announcement.
Nguyen Nang Manh is accused of having given money to some agency officials. The Ministry of Public Security said that these officials then ignored violations, created favorable conditions for the evaluation and granted food security certificates for good manufacturing practices for two factories managed by Mediphar and Mediusa.
More than 200 functional food products from nine companies are covered by the survey.
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