Lieutenant General Đỗ Quyết, director of the Military Medical University and vice secretary of its Party committee, has been dismissed from all Party positions in the terms 2015-2020 and 2020-2025. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Two senior leaders of the Military Medical University have been stripped of all Party positions for their misconduct and involvement in Việt Á Company’s COVID-19 test kit fraud.

The decision was made by the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Việt Nam in a meeting held on Tuesday, which was presided over by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

The meeting was held to review and issue disciplinary measures for the standing board of Military Medical University’s Party Committee in the terms 2015-2020 and 2020-2025. 

Following the investigation, both the university’s director Lieutenant General Đỗ Quyết, and deputy director Major General Hoàng Văn Lương were dismissed from all positions in the Party for the terms 2015-2020 and 2020-2025.

Lieutenant General Đỗ Quyết was also the vice secretary of the university’s Party committee, and Major General Hoàng Văn Lương was a member of the standing board of the committee.

The Inspection Commission of the Party Central Committee said that these violations and wrongdoings had caused severe consequences and major losses to the State budget, affected pandemic control and prevention, leading to public outrage, and caused negative impacts on the reputation of the university and its Party Committee. 

The standing board of the university’s Party Committee was also given a warning. 

Investigations revealed lax management, as well as a lack of responsibility and supervision in researching, manufacturing COVID-19 test kits, and procuring medical supplies for pandemic prevention and control.

At the beginning of 2020, Military Medical University worked with Việt Á to research how to manufacture RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR test kits to detect the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The academic paper was a national task given by and monitored by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology.

The research cost VNĐ19 billion (US$830,000) of the State budget and developed a COVID-19 test kit.

However, before the research result was assessed and approved by the two ministries, Việt Á had already introduced the new product to the market at a much higher price tag than its actual cost.

The company's management was also investigated for overcharging test kits and bribery to multiple centres for disease control (CDC) and medical facilities. 

So far, authorities have prosecuted four cases and detained 28 individuals for investigation, regarding bidding violations and causing severe consequences, bribery, abusing power while on duty, and embezzlement. — VNS