Former Deputy Health Minister gets four years in jail in fake medicine case
Former Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong was given four years in jail in the first-instance trial of the case relating to the trading of counterfeit medicine labelled as Health 2000 Canada; lack of responsibilities causing serious consequences; and abuse of positions and power while on duty, which took place in HCM City, some other localities and at the Health Ministry’s Drug Administration (DAV).
Former Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong at court (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – FormerDeputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong was given four years in jail in the first-instance trial of the case relating to the trading of counterfeit medicinelabelled as Health 2000 Canada; lack of responsibilities causing seriousconsequences; and abuse of positions and power while on duty, which tookplace in HCM City, some other localities and at the Health Ministry’s DrugAdministration (DAV).
The Hanoi People’s Court imposed the sentenceon Cuong on May 19 for the lack of responsibilities causing serious consequences.
Two other defendants, Nguyen Viet Hung, former deputy director of the DAV; andLe Dinh Thanh, a former official of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department - were sentenced to three years and two years respectively, on the samecharge as Cuong.
Two former officials of the DAV – Pham Hong Chau and NguyenThi Thu Thuy – got four years for abusing positions and power whileon duty.
Nine other defendants were givenimprisonments ranging from 6 years to 20 years for trading counterfeit medicine.
According to the verdict of the SupremePeople’s Procuracy, as head of the DAV from 2007 to 2016, Cuong failed to fulfilhis responsibility in supervising and inspecting the work of experts inassessing and granting licences for seven kinds of drugs, leading to theapproval of dossiers for the import and consumption of the six out of the sevencounterfeit drugs, labelled Health 2000, in Vietnam with a total value ofover 148 billion VND.
After the drugs were imported and consumed inVietnam, although he received information about the suspected originsof the drugs, Cuong did not give direction to stop their circulation,or recall and destroy the drugs. As a result, domestic medicalestablishments continued to use supplied counterfeit drugs labelled Health2000 Canada without clear origins to treat patients at a total value of over3.7 billion VND.
Meanwhile, former DAV deputy director Hung did notperform properly his assigned tasks and duties thus failing to detect and stopwrongdoings of his subordinates in assessing and licensing the drugs./.
Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong and 13 others are facing charges for their role in ing counterfeit cancer medicines labelled as Health 2000 Canada, according the new indictment issued by the Supreme People’s Procuracy.
A first-instance trial will start on May 12 on former Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong and 13 other defendants involved in the case relating to the trading of counterfeit medicines labelled as Health 2000 Canada; the lack of responsibilities causing serious consequences; and the abuse of positions and power while on duty, which took place in HCM City, some other localities and at the DAV, according to the Hanoi People’s Court.
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Former Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong at court (Photo: VNA) 
