Hanoi CDC Director arrested over breaches in purchase of COVID-19 testing machine

April 23, 2020 | 10:19

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The director of the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC) along with six others have been detained over alleged wrongdoings in purchasing COVID-19 testing equipment, the Ministry of Public Security announced on April 22.

hanoi cdc director arrested over breaches in purchase of covid 19 testing machine

Suspects detained over breaches in medical supplies purchase. From left: Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC); Nguyen Vu Ha Thanh, head of Hanoi CDC’s financial and accounting department; and Le Xuan Tuan, an employee in the department. (File Photo of VNA)

Initial investigations revealed the suspects colluded to jack up the price of the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machines, used in testing for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which “result in particularly serious losses to the State”.

The police said the case involves Hanoi CDC under the municipal Department of Health, Nhan Thanh Asset Valuation and Auctioning JSC, and Vietnam Scientific and Material Science Company Limited (MST) and “certain other relevant units”.

The detained suspects in the case include 57-year-old Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of the Hanoi CDC; Nguyen Vu Ha Thanh, 41, head of the Hanoi CDC’s financial and accounting department; and Le Xuan Tuan, 38, an employee of the department.

Four other suspects are from private companies alleged to have been in collusion with the Hanoi CDC, namely Dao The Vinh, 45-year-old, Director of MST; Nguyen Tran Duy, 40, General Director of the Nhan Thanh company; Nguyen Ngoc Nhat, 34, an employee of Vitech Development Co., Ltd; and Nguyen Thanh Tuyen, 35, an employee of Phuong Dong Medical Equipment Co., Ltd.

The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security (C03) said it is clarifying the violations of each suspect and trying to recover the losses, and expanding the scope of the case.

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Tag:

COVID-19 COVID-19 testing machine Hanoi Centre For Disease Control COVID-19 Testing Equipment SARS-Cov-2 Nhan Thanh Asset Valuation And Auctioning JSC