Vietnam jails more officials over Covid-19 flight bribes

The Hanoi People's Court on Friday sentenced more than a dozen officials to prison terms of up to 12 years for corruption related to repatriation flights and quarantine arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic. This ruling comes after a series of investigations into bribery that took place during one of the most challenging periods of the pandemic.

Last year, a total of 54 officials and businesspeople were convicted for their involvement in corrupt activities, with the total amount of bribes amounting to US$9.5 million. These individuals were found guilty of accepting or offering bribes, or acting as intermediaries to facilitate these illegal transactions. Among those convicted, four former senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, health, and public security received life sentences for their roles in the corruption scheme.

During the height of the pandemic, in early 2020, Vietnam had closed its borders to nearly everyone, except for its own citizens returning home. The officials involved in the corruption cases were accused of taking bribes to help people secure seats on repatriation flights and arrange medical quarantine stays. At that time, returning citizens faced complicated entry procedures, expensive flight costs, and high quarantine expenses, which created an opportunity for corruption.

One of the key defendants, Tran Tung, the former deputy director of northern Thai Nguyen Province's Department of Foreign Affairs, was found guilty of receiving around $300,000 in bribes. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes and abuse of power in his role as an official overseeing quarantine facilities.

In addition to Tung, sixteen other individuals, including officials from the transport ministry, provincial authorities, and employees of travel companies, were sentenced to up to three and a half years in prison for crimes including bribery and abuse of power.

The corruption cases that came to light are part of a broader anti-corruption campaign in Vietnam, which has targeted several instances of unethical deals made during the pandemic response. One high-profile case involved a Hanoi mother, who reported spending over $10,000 to bring her teenage daughter back to Vietnam from a boarding school in Europe at the height of the pandemic.

The government’s crackdown on corruption has intensified in recent years. According to the Public Security Ministry, in 2024, authorities have already investigated 825 cases involving 1,676 individuals on corruption-related charges. This marks an increase of more than 16% compared to the previous year, highlighting the government’s commitment to combating corruption across various sectors.