The defendants face charges of bribery, accepting bribes, brokering bribes, and abusing positions and powers while performing duties.

Among the defendants are former leaders and staff of the Bien Hoa Central Forensic Psychiatric Institute, including Le Van Hung and Bui The Hung (both former directors); Nguyen Thanh Cong and Nguyen Huu Ty (both former deputy directors); Nguyen Van Trong, Pham Cong Hoa, Nguyen Thanh Quang, Tran Tan Thuyet, Nguyen Thi Huyen, Dang Quoc Tuyen, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trang (all former department heads); Pham Van Thang and Truong Thi Xuan Uyen (both former deputy department heads); Nguyen Van Thanh (doctor); Lam Thi Anh Hong (head nurse); and Le Thi Ha Nghia (former deputy head of the forensic psychiatry department).

The investigation found that doctors and forensic psychiatric evaluators at the Bien Hoa Institute accepted bribes and abused their authority to create medical records and issue false psychiatric evaluation conclusions for individuals involved in prior criminal cases handled by investigation agencies, procuracies, courts, and enforcement agencies in several localities. This led to incorrect application of legal policies, causing severe consequences.

The investigation agency identified 23 evaluation panels at the Bien Hoa Institute that issued 23 false conclusions about mental health conditions for criminal case subjects in southern provinces.

The agency also identified one case of accepting money to transfer treatment departments; three cases of creating medical records where doctors and evaluators took bribes to issue false diagnoses; and one case where defendants abused their positions to misallocate evaluator and assistant allowances.

Additionally, defendants facilitated the release of individuals under mandatory treatment from the institute, against regulations.

The investigation determined that Bui The Hung (director in 2015–2022) presided over 20 evaluation panels, accepting nearly VND1.5 billion to issue false diagnoses in 19 of them. 

Hung personally received VND270 million, committing the crime of “accepting bribes.” He also abused his position by instructing subordinates to withhold 10 percent of evaluator allowances and 50 percent of assistant allowances, against regulations, for personal use.

Le Van Hung (director in May 2022–May 2024) joined 16 panels and issued false diagnoses, receiving nearly VND1.7 billion, with Hung personally taking VND523 million.

Other defendants received bribes ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of VND.

Healthy individuals sought mental illness certification

In May 2022, Vo Thi Thanh Mai, a defendant on bail in a fraud case involving Alibaba Real Estate Company, who sought leniency at trial, paid VND80 million to Nguyen Thi Kieu Mong Loan in exchange for a false psychiatric medical record.

Loan transfered VND70 million to Cao Tri Trung (under mandatory treatment at the Bien Hoa Institute) to facilitate the record.

Trung then contacted Vo Duc Duong (nurse), paying him VND70 million to create the record for Mai. Duong gave Nguyen Thanh Quang (doctor) VND50 million to admit Mai for psychiatric treatment, keeping VND20 million. The investigation confirmed Loan profited VND10 million.

In another case, in November 2021, Nguyen Phu Quang was sentenced to 10 months in prison by the Bien Hoa City People’s Court for intentional infliction of injury. His wife paid VND650 million to secure a psychiatric record, allowing Quang to avoid prison and receive mandatory treatment.

The investigation found that Ha Ngoc Khanh (doctor) received VND100 million from broker Le Duy Khanh to create the record. Quang was admitted to the Bien Hoa Institute from September 29 to October 26 in 2022 before being discharged.

T. Nhung