The former director of Vietnam’s Food Administration is one of several people who have been charged as part of a corruption investigation.
The Ministry of Public Security said Nguyễn Thanh Phong was among the 18 defendants.
An expanded bribery investigation involves the food safety department under the Ministry of Health and companies in Hanoi and other provinces, such as TSL Science Company, which offers lab testing services.
The case involves the approval of food supplements and functional food product registrations.
Nguyễn Hùng Long, former deputy director of the Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health, has also been charged with receiving bribes along with another three defendants.
Ongoing widening investigation
A further nine people, including Pham Van Hinh, head of the Department of Food Poisoning Monitoring and Information and Communications, and Dinh Cao Cuong, specialist of the Department of Food Poisoning Monitoring and Information and Communications, have been temporarily detained.
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.
Search warrants for 25 locations including the residences and workplaces of the defendants at the Vietnam Food Administration and Ministry of Health were executed.
In May, five people were charged as part of a probe into the production and trading of counterfeit goods. They included Nguyễn Thanh Phong and the four others charged with receiving bribes in the latest enforcement announcement.
Nguyen Nang Manh is accused of giving money to certain agency officials. The Ministry of Public Security said these officials then ignored violations, created favorable conditions for appraisal, and granted food safety certificates of good manufacturing practices for two factories run by MediPhar and MediUSA.
More than 200 functional food products from nine companies are covered by the investigation.
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