COVID-19 test kit case: 25-year sentence for Việt Á Company chairman

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the Board of Directors of Việt Á Technologies JSC Phan Quốc Việt has been sentenced a total of 25 years in prison on charges of "abusing position and power while on duty" and “violating bidding regulations, causing serious damages”, in the COVID-19 test kit case at the Việt Á Technologies JSC and the Việt Nam Military Medical University (VMMU). The military court of Hà Nội capital announced the verdict on Friday, following a three-day trial and deliberation. Four other defendants, charged with "violating bidding regulations, causing serious damages", faced jail sentences of between 4-7 years. According to the indictment, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the Board of Directors of the VMMU sent a document to the MoST, proposing the task of developing COVID-19 test kits. The accused managed to engage the Việt Á Technologies JSC into the test kit development project worth nearly VNĐ19 billion (over US$781,400) and helped it get a licence to illegally produce the test kits.