Deputy foreign minister fired in pandemic repatriation scam

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung and Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, were fired Wednesday for violations related to repatriation of Vietnamese citizens during the pandemic crisis.

The decision was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on behalf of the Prime Minister. Dung and Linh were found to have made "very serious violations in their work".

They have both been prosecuted and detained.

To Anh Dung and Nguyen Quang Linh were dismissed from the Party Tuesday for violations related to the “rescue flights”. The decision was issued by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.

Linh was arrested on the same day for allegedly accepting bribes related to such flights.

Based on the Central Inspection Committee’s proposal, the Secretariat found that Linh had: abused his position; breached working principles and regulations; violated the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws in submitting for approval enterprises’ applications to organize flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also violated regulations on Party members’ conduct.

To Anh Dung had lacked responsibility, violated the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws in leading, directing, advising and proposing the organization of flights; and accepted bribes.

Dung was arrested April 14 for accepting bribes related to the repatriation flights.

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.