Vietnam's former health minister and nine others were sentenced to prison for corruption and mismanagement in the construction of two major hospital projects, causing losses of over US$30 million.
HANOI: The Hanoi People's Court on Wednesday (May 27) handed down sentences to 10 defendants in a major corruption and economic mismanagement case involving the Ministry of Health and related agencies, after one week of trial and deliberation.
The defendants were convicted of violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness, embezzlement through fraud, and taking bribes in connection with the second campuses of Bach Mai Hospital and Vietnam-Germany Hospital. Former Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien received a six-year prison term for the charge of violating regulations on asset management.
Six other defendants also received prison sentences on the same charge, including former Deputy Director of the Health Construction Project Management Board Tran Van Sinh, who was sentenced to seven years; former Director of SHT Investment Consultancy and Construction JSC Dao Xuan Sinh, three years and six months; former Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health's Department of Medical Equipment and Health Facilities Nguyen Doan Tu, former Deputy Director of the Major Health Projects Management Board Nguyen Kim Trung, former Deputy Director of the Construction Economics Institute under the Ministry of Construction Le Van Cu, and incumbent Deputy Director of the Construction Economics Institute Hoang Xuan Hiep, each receiving three-year terms.
Nguyen Chien Thang, former director of the Major Health Projects Management Board, was sentenced to 13 years for violating State asset management rules and 20 years for taking bribes, for a combined sentence of 30 years. Nguyen Huu Tuan, former director of the Health Construction Project Management Board and former acting head of the Major Health Projects Management Board, received 10 years for asset management violations and 15 years for bribery, totaling 25 years.
Le Thanh Thiem, director of Sao Nam Song Hong Co., Ltd., was sentenced to 10 years for fraud and asset appropriation. The court found that the violations during the implementation of the second hospital campuses caused the projects to stall and fail to meet their objectives. Construction on both projects was suspended from January 2021 through December 2024, resulting in losses and wastefulness exceeding VNĐ803 billion (US$30.5 million) to the State budget.
The court determined that Tien and six others were responsible for the losses by needlessly hiring foreign consultants, authorising payments during construction halts, and unlawfully offering financial aid to businesses. The verdict stated that Tien and her subordinate Thang unfairly created conditions for certain contractors to secure project bids. Thang later arranged to receive 5 percent of pre-tax payment values from contractors and was found to have accepted more than VNĐ51 billion in bribes.
After Thang retired, Tuan succeeded him and continued receiving money from contractors, accepting VNĐ7.7 billion in bribes related to the case. The court also concluded that Thiem fraudulently appropriated $2 million after promising to intervene and assist the Ministry of Health during inspections by the Party Central Committee's Commission for Inspection.
The trial panel described the crimes as particularly serious, noting the defendants' intentional violation of State regulations, which caused enormous losses, undermined public trust, and damaged the reputation of State agencies. The judges emphasized that strict prison sentences were necessary for punishment and as a deterrent against corruption, economic crimes, and wastefulness. The court identified Thang as the principal offender due to his central role in directing and advising on project implementation despite his expertise.
As head of the Major Health Projects Management Board, he represented the Ministry of Health as the investor and was responsible for organizing the projects. The court said Tien, although not directly executing the acts causing wastefulness, approved contractor selection plans, project designs, and bidding procedures that created the basis for subsequent violations by subordinates, ultimately leading to the prolonged suspension and massive losses
Corruption Vietnam Healthcare Hospital Construction Bach Mai Hospital Vietnam-Germany Hospital Nguyen Thi Kim Tien State Assets Bribery Economic Mismanagement
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