Fugitive businesswoman gets another 10 years in jail for hospital supply fraud

Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, chairwoman of Advanced International Joint Stock Company (AIC), had already received a 30-year term earlier this year, and both sentences were awarded in absentia after she absconded.

She has been found guilty of conspiring with government officials to forge tender documents for the purchase of medical equipment for a public hospital in the northern Quang Ninh Province.

The Quang Ninh People’s Court sentenced 15 others, including several former AIC executives who are also in hiding, to between 30 months’ probation and eight and a half years’ imprisonment.

In January this year Nhan, 54, had been sentenced to 14 years for "violating regulations on governing bidding leading to serious consequences," and 16 years for bribery related to equipment procurement by a hospital in the southern Dong Nai Province.

The Hanoi People’s Court had found Nhan and her subordinates guilty of paying VND43.8 billion (US$1.77 million) in bribes between 2008 and 2015 to a number of Dong Nai officials to win bids to supply equipment to the Dong Nai General Hospital.

Under Vietnamese laws, a person will serve a maximum of 30 years in jail if they receive multiple sentences, except for life sentence.

Nhan is also currently under investigation for bidding violations related to the HCMC Biotechnology Center.

AIC Group was among Vietnam's 500 largest enterprises in 2012, with annual revenues of around VND10 trillion (US$406.75 million). The company operates in various fields including healthcare, education and real estate.