Former health minister Nguyen Thanh Long and 37 others are on trial in Hanoi over their alleged involvement in a scandal related to overpriced Covid-19 test kits. The Viet A scandal involves senior officials allegedly facilitating multi-million dollar deals to supply hospitals and communities with testing equipment at inflated prices. Long is accused of receiving $2.25 million in bribes, and former Hanoi mayor Chu Ngoc Anh faces charges of violating state asset management regulations. The scandal has led to the arrest of at least 100 officials and businesspeople across Vietnam, with the company Viet A allegedly netting around $172 million. Last week, the CEO of Viet A, Phan Quoc Viet, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for abuse of power and violating bidding regulations. The trial is expected to last three weeks.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}