Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security is expanding its investigation into a major bribery case involving the Food Safety Authority under the Ministry of Health and several private companies.

On the evening of August 29, the Ministry confirmed that the investigation into charges of “giving and receiving bribes” was ongoing. The alleged corruption took place during the evaluation and issuance of advertising content certificates for health supplement products.

Based on gathered evidence, on August 28, the Office of the Criminal Investigation Department issued prosecution decisions, arrest warrants, and search orders for 10 individuals, along with search warrants at 15 locations, including residences and workplaces.

Specifically, the following were prosecuted and placed in temporary detention for “receiving bribes” under Clause 2, Article 354 of the Penal Code:

Tran Viet Nga - Director General of the Food Safety Authority
Tran Thi Thu Lieu - Deputy Head of the Food Poisoning Surveillance and Communication Department
Nguyen Thi Hai Ha - Officer in the Standards Management and Testing Department

The following individuals were also prosecuted and placed under house arrest:

Phung Thi Thuy Ha - Officer in the Food Poisoning Surveillance and Communication Department
Nguyen Thi Viet Ha - Officer in the Food Product Management Department, prosecuted under Clause 4, Article 354
Tran Thi Luu - Officer in the Food Product Management Department, prosecuted under Clause 2, Article 354

Additional individuals were charged with “giving bribes”:

Dau Thi Giang (born 1994, residing in Nghe An) - prosecuted under Clause 4, Article 364
Nguyen Thanh Uyen (born 1992, residing in Hanoi) - prosecuted under Clause 2, Article 364
Quach Thi Tra My (born 1992, residing in Hanoi) - prosecuted under Clause 3, Article 364, but not subject to preventive measures
Tran Thi Quynh Trang (born 1992, residing in Hanoi) - prosecuted under Clause 4, Article 364; currently in custody at Detention Center T16 for a separate case

The Ministry stated that its investigative unit is continuing to broaden the investigation, aiming to clarify the scope of misconduct and hold all involved parties accountable under the law.

Dinh Hieu