At the court (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The Ho ChiMinh City People’s Procuracy on September 26 proposed jail sentences of 3-20years for 12 defendants in a fake cancer drug trading case at the VietnamPharma JSC (VN Pharma).
Nguyen Minh Hung, VN Pharma Chairman and General Director, is expected to spend18-19 years behind bars for “trading in fake goods being curative medicines” inaccordance with Clause 4, Article 157 of the 1999 Penal Code.
A 20-year imprisonment was sought for Vo Manh Cuong, Director of H&CInternational Maritime Trading Co., Ltd, for the same charge.
Former Deputy General Directors of VN Pharma Nguyen Tri Nhat and Ngo Anh Quocmay be given a prison term of 12-13 years each. Meanwhile, a jail sentence of3-7 years was suggested for the other defendants.
The defendants must also be banned from practicing their profession for fiveyears after their release, the procuracy said.
According to the procuracy, VN Pharma won a bidding package to supply 9,300boxes of fake H-Capita to big hospitals.
The trading of the counterfeit medicine caused serious consequences on a verylarge scale, it said, noting that Hung and Cuong were the masterminds of thescheme.
The procuracy said Hung’s crime caused damage of more than 6 billion VND(258,000 USD) to VN Pharma. Cancer patients may have used the fake drugs if thecase had not been detected, thus affecting their health and even life. Besides,patients could buy the drugs at prices much higher than the real version.
Hung’s deeds adversely affected the management and prestige of the State in thehealth sector as well as export-import activities, while sparking publicconcern, it said.
The first-instance trial will last until September 30./.
VNA
