Viet A Technology Corporation has been found to have imported three million rapid Covid-19 test kits named Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV Antigen Test (Colloidal Gold) from China at US$0.995, or VND21,560 per kit in the last four months of last year.

Mistakes in purchasing medical equipment and materials to serve the fight against Covid-19 can easily be perceived as examples of wrongdoings and embezzlement.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has asked the Government Inspectorate to inspect Covid-19 testing kit and equipment procurement at the Ministry of Health and in HCMC and Hanoi.

The People’s Court of HCM City on January 8 sentenced Tat Thanh Cang, former Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, to 10 years in prison.

Many well-known businesspeople have ended up in prison.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, a member of the Ministry of Health’s Party Civil Affairs Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure, was reprimanded by the Prime Minister for his shortcomings while on duty.

A number of high-ranking officials have been put behind bars amid a ‘blazing furnace’ campaign initiated by Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Government, in its report on the COVID-19 prevention and control submitted to the National Assembly (NA) on January 4, affirmed that the Viet A Technologies JSC had took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to seek illegal profit.

Criminal proceedings has been launched against Phan Manh Cuong, Secretary of the Thai Nguyen city Party Committee and former head of the management board of the provincial industrial parks.

Former Standing Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang was brought to trial on December 27 on the charge of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”.

Regarding the violation of production and trading regulations of Viet A Company’s Covid-19 test kits, a WHO representative in Vietnam said at a yesterday press brief that the test kits aren’t recognized by the WHO.

The PM has asked the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with other relevant agencies and localities to speed up and expand the investigation into the price gouging of Covid-19 test kits at the Viet A Technology Corporation. 

A new criminal case in which suspects inflated the price of rapid-test kit prices has been discovered. Previously, newspapers had reported turmoil in test kit prices.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has apologized for incorrectly announcing that Viet A Technology Corporation’s Covid-19 test kit was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Police have arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A Technologies JSC, for allegedly raising the price of COVID-19 test kits.

A number of businesspeople  fled or  tried to flee the country to avoid arrest, including the following:

The Communist Party’s Secretariat yesterday issued a decision to expel four officials from its membership for their violations of the Party’s regulations.

The former Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee has been jailed for eight years for abuse of power.

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy on December 11 proposed sentencing former Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung to 10-12 years behind bars.

Many wrongdoings related to land auctions and bids have been exposed recently. Most of the defendants in the land irregularity cases are high-ranking officials of agencies and institutions.