The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Procuracy on September 26 proposed jail sentences of 3-20 years for 12 defendants in a fake cancer drug trading case at the Vietnam Pharma JSC (VN Pharma).

At the court

Nguyen Minh Hung, VN Pharma Chairman and General Director, is expected to spend 18-19 years behind bars for “trading in fake goods being curative medicines” in accordance with Clause 4, Article 157 of the 1999 Penal Code.

A 20-year imprisonment was sought for Vo Manh Cuong, Director of H&C International Maritime Trading Co., Ltd, for the same charge.

Former Deputy General Directors of VN Pharma Nguyen Tri Nhat and Ngo Anh Quoc may be given a prison term of 12-13 years each. Meanwhile, a jail sentence of 3-7 years was suggested for the other defendants.

The defendants must also be banned from practicing their profession for five years after their release, the procuracy said.

According to the procuracy, VN Pharma won a bidding package to supply 9,300 boxes of fake H-Capita to big hospitals.

The trading of the counterfeit medicine caused serious consequences on a very large scale, it said, noting that Hung and Cuong were the masterminds of the scheme.

The procuracy said Hung’s crime caused damage of more than 6 billion VND (258,000 USD) to VN Pharma. Cancer patients may have used the fake drugs if the case had not been detected, thus affecting their health and even life. Besides, patients could buy the drugs at prices much higher than the real version.  

Hung’s deeds adversely affected the management and prestige of the State in the health sector as well as export-import activities, while sparking public concern, it said. 

The first-instance trial will last until September 30.