The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security on Thursday filed charges against Tran Viet Thai, former Vietnamese ambassador to Malaysia, and Nguyen Hoang Linh, an ex-official at the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia, for their alleged implication in taking bribes in exchange for seats on Vietnam’s repatriation flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two were accused of abusing their positions and powers while on duty.

Thai was taken into police custody, while Linh was let out on bail but banned from leaving his residence.

They are the latest people prosecuted in an ongoing investigation in which many incumbent and former officials were accused of taking bribes from Vietnamese citizens abroad who wanted to return to their home country when commercial flights were not available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Chu Xuan Dung, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi, and Vu Hong Nam, former Vietnamese ambassador to Japan, were detained for allegedly accepting bribes.

Most recently, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of central Quang Nam Province Tran Van Tan was arrested on the same charge.

Since the Ministry of Public Security launched an investigation into the case in late January, nearly 40 people have been prosecuted and detained, including many incumbent and former leaders and officials of nine ministries and agencies.

The most high-ranking officials facing charges are former deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung and Vu Hong Nam.

Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to former Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, has also faced the same fate.

During a press conference in late June, the Investigative Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security stated that the bribes were valued at tens of billions of Vietnamese dong. (VND10 billion = US$426,173). 

Vietnam organized nearly 2,000 repatriation flights during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

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