ANN/VIETNAM NEWS – A legal proceeding has commenced involving 16 individuals who stand accused of bid rigging in the procurement of medical equipment for Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital, with a total value close to USD10 million.
The Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Court has initiated the first-instance trial, which pertains to alleged violations within the province’s health department, the hospital, and the Advanced International Joint Stock Company (AIC Group).
The indictment reads that Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, former chairwoman and general director of the (AIC Group), founded and managed all of the operations in the company, its subsidiaries and other businesses in the same ecosystem.
During the bidding process for six bid packages in the equipment procurement for Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital, head of an AIC Group’s project management board Truong Thi Xuan Loan, AIC Group vice general manager Nguyen Hong Son and head of AIC financial secretary division Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong are accused of rigging the bids under Nhan’s direction.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, Truong Thi Xuan Loan, Nguyen Hong Son, and general director of Mopha Nguyen Thi Tích, a company connected to AIC, have absconded and are being tried in their absence.
Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong turned herself in on July 28 this year but did not admit to the crime at the investigation agency.
AIC Group won four of the six bid packages, while Mopha JSC won the other two. The packages are worth over USD9.43 million in total.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan and her accomplices caused more than USD2.06 million in damages to the State, court documents read.
The indictment also said that Cimeico company general director Nguyen Thi Quyen created value appraisals for 44 types of medical equipment that did not align with the laws.
