Defendants at the appeal trial on May 20. — VNA/VNS Photo

 HÀ NỘI — The Supreme People’s Court in Hà Nội on Wednesday opened an appellate trial in a major bribery case involving the Việt Nam Food Safety Authority (FSA) under the Ministry of Health and several related units.

The court is hearing appeals from former directors of the authority Nguyễn Thành Phong and Trần Việt Nga, along with 32 other defendants. The trial is scheduled to last until Friday.

The case was previously heard in a first-instance trial by the Hà Nội People’s Court in January this year.

According to the first-instance verdict, between 2018 and 2025, several leaders, officials and specialists of the FSA abused legal regulations to solicit and receive bribes in exchange for facilitating the appraisal and issuance of product registration certificates, advertising content approvals and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates.

Investigators found that from August 2018, after being assigned by Phong to sign advertising approval documents, Nga instructed subordinates to establish an illegal fee collection mechanism. Specialists from the authority’s Supervision and Communications Division were required to transfer at least VNĐ2 million (US$75.8 USD) per dossier to Nga.

The specialists then demanded payments from businesses and individuals submitting advertising registration dossiers, typically ranging from VNĐ4–9 million per application.

Authorities determined that Phong personally benefited by nearly VNĐ44 billion (nearly $1.7 million) from the scheme.

In addition, several organisations and individuals providing consultancy services for product registration and advertising approvals colluded with officials and leaders of the authority, paying bribes in exchange for support in completing dossiers and avoiding repeated requests for revisions.

The first-instance court concluded that Phong and Nga played leading roles in organising and directing the bribery scheme, while also distributing illegal payments according to rank and position.

The total amount of bribes received by the defendants in the case exceeded VNĐ94 billion, with Phong alone pocketing VNĐ43.9 billion.

At the first-instance trial, 34 defendants were convicted of receiving bribes. Phong was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Nga to 15 years, and former deputy director Nguyễn Hùng Long to 12 years.

Lê Hoàng, Nga’s husband and former deputy director of the Ministry of Health’s Việt Nam Administration of Disease Prevention, received a five-year prison sentence.

Meanwhile, 21 defendants were convicted of giving bribes and handed sentences ranging from 15 months suspended to five years and six months in prison.

Following the first-instance verdict, Phong, Nga and Long appealed for reduced sentences. Thirty-one other defendants also filed appeals seeking lighter punishments or suspended sentences. — VNA/VNS