Police ask 8 involved in AIC Group equipment bidding scam to surrender

Eight Vietnamese people suspected of involvement in a scam at the AIC Group regarding medical equipment procurement are absconding and should surrender, says the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry said Friday that the eight absconders were facing criminal charges in a medical equipment bidding scam. Surrendering to the police would allow them to get lenient sentence recommendations, it added.

On top of the wanted list is AIC chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, 53, who has been absconding since June 19, 2021.

"Everyone has the right to arrest and immediately bring a wanted person to the nearest police station, prosecutor’s office or the people's committee," a police release had said in May.

Others on the list include Tran Manh Ha, 51, deputy CEO of the Hanoi-headquartered company; and Do Van Son, 45, the firm’s former chief accountant.

Nguyen Thi Sen, 38, former director of the Medical Equipment and Environment JSC, is also wanted, as is 60-year-old Nguyen Thi Tich, director of Mopha JSC, a Hanoi-headquartered supplier of machinery and equipment.

All the five people mentioned above are Hanoians.

Ngo The Vinh, 57, director of the Viet Tien Dental Equipment Trading Co., Ltd., HCMC, is the sixth person on the wanted list. Vinh has U.S. citizenship and is living in the U.S., according to the police announcement.

Nguyen Dang Thuyet, 52, is the seventh. The Hanoi resident is former director of Thanh An Hanoi Co., Ltd. He is also living in the U.S.

The eighth is HCMC resident Do My Hanh, 40, chairwoman of Cat Van Sa International Company.

The scam involves the VND1,904 billion ($82.43 million) amended Dong Nai General Hospital investment project which had been approved by the Dong Nai province People's Committee with the hospital as the investor.

Investigators say there were violations in the process of making project adjustment documents and bidding documents for 12 medical equipment procurement bidding packages in the period 2013-2015.

Staff of the investor; AIC; the consulting unit for project formulation, bidding document preparation, and bid evaluation; and the price appraisal unit "colluded to inflate the price" so that AIC won 12 bidding packages with a total value of $20.77 million. The act “caused damage to state assets”, estimated at about $6.58 million.

AIC was established in 2005, specializing in labor export. The company has grown into multi-sector AIC Group, with more than 10 member companies and an annual revenue of trillions of Vietnamese dong (VND1 trillion = $43.29 million).

In recent years, AIC Group has won many bidding packages to supply equipment in the fields of healthcare and education across the country.