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Vietnamese authorities have arrested Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan over allegations of accepting a bribe, as police investigate a medical company accused of smuggling equipment, the Public Security Ministry said on Wednesday.
Thuan, a prominent oncologist, was appointed deputy health minister in 2020 and became chairman of the National Medical Council in 2024.
His arrest is linked to a police investigation into Viet My Medical Investment Joint Stock Company over alleged smuggling and accounting violations that caused serious consequences, according to the ministry.
State media reported that police had also arrested two executives and an accountant at the company, which was allegedly established to trade and resell medical equipment and pharmaceuticals at inflated prices before importing them into Vietnam from Singapore and Hong Kong.
Authorities also accused the company’s leaders of attempting to illegally import medical equipment. AFP was unable to reach the company for comment.
The arrest comes as Vietnam continues a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has targeted senior government officials and prominent business figures.
The campaign, which was intensified under President To Lam, has led to the removal and prosecution of numerous officials and business leaders. Analysts say the crackdown has also strengthened Lam’s position as Vietnam’s most powerful leader in decades.
In May, former Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was sentenced to six years in prison over mismanagement of hospital projects, state media reported.
Tien had previously faced scrutiny over corruption scandals and was once voted the least popular official by lawmakers in the communist one-party state.
