Company executive arrested for bribery in pandemic repatriation scam

Tran Hong Ha, director of Sao Viet International Commercial and Human Resources Supplying Company, was detained Friday for bribery in a scam involving repatriation flights to Vietnam amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said this is a new development after eight months of investigating the case of bribery and fraudulent appropriation of assets at the ministries of foreign affairs, public security, medical healthcare, transport, the Government Office and related agencies involving the "rescue flights.

Ha, 50, is one of the 26 people related to the scandal to have been arrested so far.

On October 27, the investigative agency detained Cao Duc Hiep, 46, director of Vietnam Railways Trade Union Travel Service Co., Ltd., for giving bribes per the Penal Code.

On the same day, Le Thi Ngoc Anh, 38, a staff member of the reception department under the Party Central Committee for External Relations, was arrested on charges of fraud in the "rescue flights" scandal.

The ministry has arrested top officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including former Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung and Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former head of the ministry's consular department and other officials.

Other notable names included Tran Van Du, former vice head of the Vietnam immigration department under the Ministry of Public Security; and Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to Vietnam's standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Vietnam organized nearly 800 repatriation flights to bring home more than 200,000 citizens from more than 60 countries and territories.

When the flights were deployed, many people complained they had to buy very expensive tickets and go through cumbersome procedures.