Deputy PM’s assistant arrested in pandemic repatriation scandal

Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly accepting bribes related to repatriation of Vietnamese citizens during the pandemic crisis.

Linh, 48, was prosecuted and detained by the Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency per the Penal Code.

He is the 19th person to be handled as a criminal after eight months of investigation into the case of "giving bribes, receiving bribes, abusing power and positions while performing duties, fraudulently appropriating assets" at the ministries of foreign affairs, public security, health, and transport, the Government Office, in Hanoi and other localities.

Earlier on the same day, Nguyen Quang Linh and Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung had been dismissed from the Party for violations related to the “rescue flights”. The decision was issued by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.

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.