70 million USD worth of assets recovered, frozen in Viet A COVID-19 test kit case: Spokesperson

The police have recovered, distrained and frozen properties of people involving in the COVID-19 test kit overcharging at Viet A Technologies JSC, Lt. Gen. To An Xo, Chief of Office and spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security told reporters during a routine Government press conference on March 3.
70 million USD worth of assets recovered, frozen in Viet A COVID-19 test kit case: Spokesperson ảnh 1Viet A Technologies JSC's COVID-19 test kits.
Hanoi (VNA) – The police have recovered, distrainedand frozen properties of people involving in the COVID-19 test kit overcharging atViet A Technologies JSC, Lt. Gen. To An Xo, Chief of Office and spokesperson ofthe Ministry of Public Security told reporters during a routine Governmentpress conference on March 3.

The police have worked through the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday,regardless of the COVID-19 impacts, to investigate into the case, he said, adding that the police departmentsin 62 out of the country's 63 provinces and centrally-run cities are collecting information related to thecase.

He further noted that over 1.6 trillion VND (70.05 millionUSD) worth of assets from the involved people have been recovered, distrainedand frozen by the police so far.

His ministry is also accelerating probes at ministries andagencies which were connected with the development, production and evaluation of Viet A’stest kits.

Last December, the police arrested and initiated legalproceedings against Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A Technologies,for raising the price of RT-PCR COVID-19 test kits and giving bribery to healthofficials to sell their test kits.

The initial investigation showed that Viet and key leadersof the company had admitted tocolluding with leaders of hospitals and CDCs to supply COVID-19 test kits to hospitals and CDCs these units atprices set by the company, which were much higher than the productionprice. 

The Ministry of Public Security has also found signs of wrongdoings in the management, research and transfer of the scientific project on COVID-19 test kits at the Ministry of Science and Technology and in licensing the circulation of the test kits and the negotiation of COVID-19 test kit price with the Viet A Company at the Ministry of Health./.
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