Vietnam’s former food safety chiefs, subordinates accused of taking over $3.8mn in bribes

The Ministry of Public Security's criminal investigation agency on Tuesday issued its conclusion on a bribery case involving the Food Safety Authority and several related companies.

Nguyen Thanh Phong and Tran Viet Nga, both former heads of the Food Safety Authority, have been recommended for prosecution on charges of accepting bribes.

Phong served as head of the Food Safety Authority from January 2015 to September 2024, while Nga succeeded him.

Two former deputy heads, Do Huu Tuan and Nguyen Hung Long, are also facing the same charge.

Besides, nine former managers and specialists from the Center for Food Safety Application and Training, as well as 10 officials from the Food Product Management Division, have been recommended for prosecution for bribery.

According to the investigation, from 2018 to 2024, after Government Decree No. 15 took effect in February 2018, regulations on the registration and declaration of health supplement products remained vague and lacked detailed technical guidance. This created difficulties for businesses and was exploited by officials to solicit illegal payments.

In September 2018, Phong as head of the Food Safety Authority chaired a leadership meeting, during which authority was assigned to specific departments to review product declaration dossiers.

Investigators allege that Phong approved a scheme allowing specialists to collect illegal payments of VND5-10 million ($190-380) per dossier from applicants.

The illicit proceeds were allegedly shared among Phong and his subordinates.

Specialists under the Food Safety Authority are accused of receiving VND94.6 billion ($3.6 million) in bribes between 2018 and 2024 to expedite the issuance of product acceptance certificates and factory compliance certifications.

Investigators determined that Phong personally appropriated nearly VND44 billion ($1.7 million), identifying him as the mastermind of the scheme.

Phong is being held criminally responsible for the full amount collected by subordinates and is required to pay nearly $1.7 million to the state treasury.

As for Tran Viet Nga, then deputy head and later head of the Food Safety Authority, was assigned responsibility for approving advertising content for health supplements from July 2018 to September 2024.

Investigators allege that Nga deliberately delayed or rejected dossiers without clear reasons, instructing her subordinates to collect at least VND2 million ($76) per dossier for her benefit.

Under her direction, specialists allegedly collected VND12.7 billion ($483,000) from applicants seeking advertising approval.

Nga is accused of appropriating VND8 billion ($304,000) and is considered the ringleader of this separate bribery scheme.

She is being held criminally liable for the entire amount and must return $304,000 to the state.