Police propose prosecuting Drug Administration’s former vice head
The Saigon Times
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| Nguyen Viet Hung, former vice head of the Drug Administration of Vietnam – PHOTO: VTC.VN |
HCMC – The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security has proposed the Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecute Nguyen Viet Hung, former vice head of the Drug Administration of Vietnam for his lack of responsibility related to a fake drug scandal.
According to the investigators, Hung did not check the drug appraisal documents and allowed the registration of fake cancer drugs imported by VN Pharma Company.
Hung together with Pham Hong Chau, former head of the Drug Registration Division and Le Dinh Thanh, an official at the HCMC Customs Department are accused of lacking responsibility, causing serious consequences in line with Article 360 of the 2015 Penal Code.
Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman and general director of Vietnamese pharmaceutical firm VN Pharma, Vo Manh Cuong, former director of H&C International Trading Shipping Co., Ltd and eight other defendants are accused of trading fake cancer drugs.
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, former head of the Drug Price Management Department, is accused of abusing her power and position while on duty.
Founded in October 2011, VN Pharma was led by then-chairman and general director Nguyen Minh Hung. From 2013 to 2014, Hung ordered Cuong to buy 838,000 box of medicine bearing the labels of Canada-based Health 2000 Company and supply the medicine to Vietnamese hospitals.
The Canadian firm could not provide a number of standard documents related to the drug, so Hung and his accomplices commissioned a set of fake documents to apply for a license from the Vietnam Drug Administration.
The Ministry of Health found that the medicine contained 97% capecitabine, a low-quality ingredient that is unsuitable for human consumption.
