Company director inflates Covid test kit price for $35 mln bonus to partners

Phan Quoc Viet, general director of the medical tech firm Viet A Technology Corporation, admitted to have inflated the price of the company’s test kits and bribed certain individuals to earn over VND500 billion, office head and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security To An Xo said Friday.

This is the latest development of an investigation into violations in management, research and sale of a Covid-19 test kit product, which has seen 19 people investigated being over the past month.

Among those being investigated for alleged bidding violations and power abuse include high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Health and local Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Authorities have frozen several bank accounts and passbooks of Viet and other people in the company holding more than VND320 billion and $100,000 in total, and seized 20 real estate properties.

The police said Viet conspired with leaders of several CDCs to win bids to sell his company’s Covid-19 test kits, and bribed director of the Hai Duong CDC Pham Duy Tien VND27 billion. Viet and Tuyen are also being investigated for giving and receiving bribes.