VietNamNet Bridge – The Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Health said that eight hospitals have bought medical equipment of the US company Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., which allegedly bribed Vietnamese officials with $2.2 million.

The chief inspector Dang Van Chinh said these are large hospitals in the country and the deadline for them to send reports to the Ministry is November 15.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health asked for the General Administration of Customs’ cooperation in providing information by November 20 about the import of Bio-Rad products into Vietnam from 2005 to 2010.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Medical Equipment and Health Work, said the Ministry has discovered that six companies imported equipment from Bio-Rad from 2011 to 2013, but they have not reported the findings to the Ministry.

According to initial information, Bio-Rad Laboratories operated in Vietnam from 2005 to 2013, with representative offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ministry of Health set up a working group to investigate the alleged bribery scandal of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc in Vietnam on November 11.

According to foreign newswires, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., a provider of research and clinical diagnostic products, has paid more than $7.5m in kickbacks to government officials in Russia, Vietnam and Thailand to win contracts from 2005 to 2010.

From 2005 to 2009, the Bio-Rad office in Vietnam made improper payments totaling $D2.2 million to distributors and agents, who in turn transferred them to state officials.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien requested the police to verify the accusations and pursue suitable legal action under Vietnamese law for any organizations or individuals involved. Tien also sent a letter to the US Embassy in Hanoi on November 6 to ask for support from the investigators.

Vietnamese agencies will conduct a thorough investigation and strictly deal with the case related to US firm’s bribery of Vietnam government officials, according to Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Pham Thu Hang, who spoke at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 6.

Le Ha