Former deputy minister receives nearly $1 mln in pandemic repatriation flight bribes

The Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency has determined that former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung received bribes of VND21.5 billion ($916,000) related to repatriation flights that brought Vietnamese citizens home from overseas during the pandemic.

The investigative agency on Tuesday proposed to prosecute former deputy ministers of foreign affairs To Anh Dung and Vu Hong Nam, and 52 others.

The two former deputy ministers have been accused of receiving bribes when approving plans for the "rescue flights".

The agency determined that Dung had honestly admitted his wrongdoings, actively cooperated with authorities and paid back VND2 billion ($85,200).

Vu Hong Nam, as Vietnam's ambassador to Japan, was found to have taken advantage of his position and power to receive bribes of $60,000 and VND450 million ($19,200).

According to the conclusion, Nam received the bribe to help Nhat Minh Travel JSC sell air tickets and hotel rooms to Vietnamese workers on six flights from Japan.

"Nam has cooperated with the investigation agency, honestly admitted his wrongdoings, and handed over the entire bribe to authorities," reads the conclusion.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quang Linh, former assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, was determined to have received bribes of more than VND4.2 billion ($179,000) in the "rescue flight" scam.

According to the conclusion, Linh took advantage of his position as assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh to receive bribes and help a number of companies participate in the "rescue flights".

Dozens of former leaders and officials at departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, Government Office, Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and Central Committee for Foreign Affairs have been subject to proposed prosecution for violations related to the "rescue flights".

Nguyen Anh Tuan, former deputy director of Hanoi's police, allegedly received more than VND61 billion ($2.6 million) to help two businessmen avoid criminal charges in the "rescue flights" scandal.

Chu Xuan Dung, former vice chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, and Tran Van Tan, former vice chairman of Quang Nam province, are also subject to proposed prosecutions for taking bribes.

Investigators said that taking advantage of the flights to "rescue" Vietnamese citizens from abroad during the pandemic, many ministerial officials colluded with businesses to reap hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars illicitly.

After the pandemic broke out, Vietnam organized about 2,000 repatriation flights to bring home citizens from overseas, according to a spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security.

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

The case of giving, receiving and brokering bribes, and fraudulently appropriating property when organizing rescue flights were identified to occur at the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Health, and Transport, Government Office, Hanoi People's Committee, and related units.