Food safety officials take $3M bribes to forge certificates for 10,000 health supplements

The Ministry of Public Security announced Monday that its Investigation Police Office (C01) has recommended charges against 18 people with "giving bribes," "taking bribes," and "forging documents of an organization or agency" in a case involving TSL Science Co. Ltd. and related organizations.

Those "taking bribes," include 15 current or former health ministry officials, including former director of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA), Nguyen Thanh Phong; deputy head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, Le Hoang; chief of the standards-management and testing unit under the Department of Medical Service Administration, Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan; and chief of the food-poisoning surveillance unit under the VFA, Pham Van Hinh.

The former officials committed the violations while still in office.

Former director of the Vietnam Food Administration Nguyen Thanh Phong. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Public Security

The police say thousands of health-supplement products require the VFA to vet registration dossiers, which must include scientific proof of efficacy.

Investigators allege department staff substituted other documents when applicants' files were inadequate.

Hinh, chief of the food-poisoning surveillance unit, told police that after a dossier was approved, companies sent money to the staff member involved, and department leaders kept half and the rest went into a common kitty.

Initial findings indicate that more than VND75 billion worth of bribes had been taken to create the bogus certificates.

Phong alone, as head of the VFA, is accused of pocketing over VND60 billion between 2015 and 2024.

Deputy head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine Le Hoang. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Health

For giving bribes, the police detained Pham Thi Loan, director of Canada Vietnam International Pharmaceutical JSC, and Tran Quang Hai, director and legal representative of Fosy International Food Service JSC.

Nguyen Quang Hung, CEO of Novaco Pharmaceutical JSC, is being investigated for forging official documents.

The violations involve illegal operations by TSL, which has been linked to a counterfeit health supplement ring currently under expanded police investigation.