Defendants at the court. Over 30 CDCs seek lighter penalties for former Hanoi CDC director and his accomplices - PHOTO: TNO

HCMC – More than 30 Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) of localities nationwide and some scientists and organizations have sought lighter penalties for former director of the Hanoi CDC Nguyen Nhat Cam and his accomplices, according to the Hanoi People’s Court.

On June 24, the court opened a two-day appeal hearing against Cam and his five accomplices for their alleged price gouging on real-time PCR detection systems used for Covid-19 testing, the local media reported.

The court also said it had received petitions proposing lighter penalties for Cam and his accomplices from 42 associate professors and 430 doctors at several hospitals.

Earlier, Cam; Nguyen Vu Ha Thanh, head of the Hanoi CDC’s financial and accounting department; Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, former head of the administrative organization department; Dao The Vinh, director of Vietnam Trading and Material Science Company; Nguyen Tran Duy, general director of Nhan Thanh Property Valuation and Auction JSC; and Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, former head of the planning and operation department, had lodged appeals against the first-instance verdict to demand reductions in their penalties.

On December 12 last year, Cam was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for violating bidding regulations, leading to serious consequences.

With the same charges, Thanh and Vinh received jail terms of 6.5 years each, while Nguyen Ngoc Nhat, an employee of the Vitech Development Company; and Duy and Dung were handed down prison terms of six years each.

In addition, Quynh was given five years behind bars.

Cam was seen as the mastermind of the case and asked to take responsibility for the implementation of the bidding.

The results of the Ministry of Public Security’s investigation showed that last year, the Hanoi CDC bought some real-time PCR detection systems, which were imported into Vietnam at a price of more than VND2 billion, but the Hanoi CDC reported a cost of some VND7 billion, causing losses of more than VND5.4 billion for the State.

Their violations were dangerous for the society and damaged the prestige of the Party and the State, especially while the Covid-19 pandemic has shown complicated developments and the whole country is striving to curb the pandemic.

They have all returned the embezzled funds.