Vietnam court jails ex-health official amid anti-graft drive

　　div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpHANOI Reuters – A court in Vietnam on Thursday sentenced a former deputy health minister to four years in prison for his involvement in a trading ring for fake medicines.p

　　pTruong Quoc Cuong, 59, who had been a deputy health minister since 2016, was accused late last year of helping local firms to import more than 148 billion dong 6.4 million worth of fake medicines to sell domestically, according to a Ministry of Public Security statement.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

　　pVietnam authorities have stepped up an antigraft drive with a recent series of arrests targeting prominent business people, market regulators and health officials.p

　　pDozens of senior health officials have been accused of wrongdoing in medical procurement, including claims they overstated the cost of coronavirus test kits. p

　　pThe Communist Party of Vietnam has also proposed disciplining the Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long for his “involvement in wrongdoing”.p

　　pIt was unclear if Cuong pleaded guilty. He was convicted of demonstrating a “lack of responsibility, causing serious consequences” at his sevenday trial in Hanoi, his lawyer, Nguyen Hong Bach, said. p

　　pThe court also sentenced 13 others to between two and 20 years in prison for their involvement in the case, according to a police statement. p

　　p1 23,139 dongp

　　p

　　pp Reporting by Khanh Vu Editing by Kanupriya Kapoorp

　　divdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivdivdiv