Party Central Committee holds extraordinary meeting

The decision was made after the Politburo and Secretariat of the Party met in Hanoi on June 4, requesting that the Party Central Committee take disciplinary actions against the Party leadership of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health in the 2016-2021 tenure.

Incumbent Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh, who was former Minister of Science and Technology, and Nguyen Thanh Long, incumbent Minister of Health will be reprimanded for their misconduct and rule violations linked to the notorious test kit scandal at Viet A Technologies. Both officials are members of the Party Central Committee.

Last December, the police arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A Technologies, for raising the price of RT-PCR COVID-19 test kits and giving bribery to health officials to sell their test kits.

Investigations showed that Viet and key leaders of the company had admitted to colluding with leaders of hospitals and provincial Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) to supply COVID-19 test kits to hospitals and CDCs these units at prices set by the company, which were much higher than the production price. 

The Ministry of Public Security had also found signs of wrongdoings in the management, research and transfer of the scientific project on COVID-19 test kits at the Ministry of Science and Technology and in licensing the circulation of the test kits and the negotiation of COVID-19 test kit price with Viet A Company at the Ministry of Health.

The Political Bureau and the Secretariat maintained that the wrongdoings and violations committed by the Party leadership of the two ministries had caused serious consequences to the state budget, negatively impacted the COVID-19 fight, stirred up public anger, and adversely tarnished the reputation of Party organizations of the two ministries.

The Party Central Committee is expected to soon take a disciplinary action against the two officials shortly.