Nguyễn Thanh Phong, former Director of the Food Administration, during his time in office. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A former high-ranking health official has been prosecuted in two major corruption cases linked to the mass production and distribution of counterfeit health supplements in Việt Nam, police said on Monday.

Nguyễn Thanh Phong, former Director of the Food Administration under the Ministry of Health, is accused of receiving tens of billions of đồng in bribes to approve falsified product registrations and overlook serious violations related to functional foods.

Phong is now facing charges in two separate criminal cases handled by different agencies of the Ministry of Public Security, both pointing to a deep network of collusion between regulatory officials and business executives.

Case 1: Fake approvals through TSL Science Co.

In the latest case, the Investigation Police Agency (CO1) filed formal charges on July 10 against Phong and 17 others for giving and receiving bribes.

The case centres on TSL Science CO LTD, which allegedly issued fake laboratory results enabling companies to register counterfeit dietary supplements.

Investigators say that although the Center for Application and Training in Food Safety was not legally responsible for dossier evaluations, Phong assigned it additional duties in order to facilitate the scam.

In exchange, he and others reportedly accepted bribes totaling more than VNĐ75 billion (US$2.9 million) to process over 10,000 falsified product dossiers.

From 2015 to 2024, Phong is believed to have personally received more than VNĐ60 billion ($2.3 million).

Other senior officials prosecuted include Nguyễn Hùng Long, former Deputy Director of the Food Administration; Đinh Quang Minh, former Director of the Center for Application and Training in Food Safety; and several department heads and specialists.

Two business executives - Phạm Thị Loan of Canada Vietnam International Pharmaceutical JSC and Trần Quang Hải of Fosi International Food Services JSC - have also been charged with bribery.

Police executed search warrants at 25 locations in connection with the case.

Case 2: Bribes Tied to MediUSA and MegaPhaco

In a separate investigation led by the Economic Crimes and Corruption Police (C03), Phong and four other officials are charged with colluding with Nguyễn Năng Mạnh, the head of a counterfeit health supplement operation involving the MediUSA and MegaPhaco companies.

According to the police, Mạnh paid bribes to secure 207 product registrations and four food safety certifications for nine companies under his control.

These approvals allowed the companies to produce and sell hundreds of tonnes of fake dietary supplements, often marketed as imported from the US or Europe, though most ingredients were sourced from China or unverified suppliers.

Authorities say many products contained less than 30 per cent of the advertised active ingredients and were distributed widely, targeting vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children.

Phong allegedly admitted to receiving VNĐ250 million ($9,600) in cash for post-approval inspections and certifications. One envelope reportedly contained VNĐ50 million, handed over after a site inspection.

Systemic abuse and ongoing investigation

The cases have exposed systemic abuse within Việt Nam’s food safety regulatory framework. At least 14 ministry officials have been prosecuted, and the investigations are ongoing.

In total, police have seized around 100 tonnes of counterfeit functional foods across various warehouses and distribution points nationwide. Suspects attempted to destroy evidence and shut down factories once investigations began.

Authorities are expanding the probe to uncover the full scope of wrongdoing. — VNS