Appeal trial for Covid repatriation bribery scandal to begin Dec 20

The appeal trial will begin Dec. 20 and last four days in Hanoi. Around 30 lawyers are expected to participate in the trial.

Two of the original defendants are claiming innocence and are appealing to overturn their convictions: Hoang Van Hung, a former Ministry of Public Security investigator who received life imprisonment, and Tran Minh Tuan, director of the Thai Hoa construction company, who received 18 years in prison.

Some 19 others filed appeals to lessen their sentences, including former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung, who received 16 years in prison. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former head of the Consular Department, Pham Trung Kien, former secretary to the Deputy Minister of Health, and Vu Anh Tuan, former official at the Immigration Department, are all appealing to reduce their life imprisonment sentences.

A total of 54 people went on trial in July regarding the Covid-19 repatriation flight bribery scandal. They were charged with numerous crimes, including bribery and abuse of power. The 18-day trial ended with four life sentences, 30 prison sentences of up to 16 years, and 10 suspended sentences.

From 2020 to 2021, 372 combo flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back to the country were organized. In order for the flights to be approved, 20 businesses had given and received bribes a total of 515 times, totaling VND165 billion ($6.8 million) in value.