Major General Nguyễn Văn Thành, Deputy Director of the Investigation Police Department for Corruption, Smuggling and Economic Crimes (C03) at the press conference on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Authorities have launched criminal proceedings against 10 individuals for a bribery case involving tens of billions of đồng, and hundreds of thousands of US dollars, at the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security said the case is still under investigation at a press conference on Thursday.

In late January, the Ministry of Public Security prosecuted Nguyễn Thị Hương Lan, head of the Consular Department; Đỗ Hoàng Tùng, deputy head of the department; Lê Tuấn Anh, chief of the department’s office; and Lưu Tuấn Dũng, deputy head of the citizen protection desk at the department, for “receiving bribery.”

On March 25, the ministry arrested and prosecuted Hoàng Diệu Mơ, General Director of An Bình Commercial, Tourism and Aviation Services Co., Ltd for “giving bribery.”

Tô Anh Dũng, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Phạm Trung Kiên, a staff member of the Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Equipment and Projects; and Vũ Anh Tuấn, a former officer of the Ministry of Public Security's Department of Immigration, were also arrested and prosecuted on April 14.

At the press conference, Major General Nguyễn Văn Thành, Deputy Director of the Investigation Police Department for Corruption, Smuggling and Economic Crimes (C03) under the Ministry of Public Security, confirmed that rumours former Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long and former Director of Bach Mai Hospital Nguyễn Quang Tuấn had committed suicide in prison were not true.

Long was arrested and prosecuted for "abuse of power and position while on duty” in a COVID-19 test kit scam at Việt Á Technologies JSC.

Tuấn has been detained for further investigation into his role in medical equipment price gouging.

Regarding the case of Tân Hoàng Minh group, the ministry said the total amount of money defrauded from the group's customers was VNĐ8.8 trillion. However, only 50 per cent of the victims have made a report to the police.

Tân Hoàng Minh has arranged around VNĐ2.1 trillion to refund its customers and is set to raise a total of 50-60 per cent of what investors had bought to pay them back by next month.

The ministry called on any investors in the case to provide information to the investigation. VNS