Deputy Minister of Science and Technology removed from post for grave wrongdoings

Under the decision, the Government decided to remove Pham Cong Tac from his post for grave violations and wrongdoings.

Earlier on June 4, the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee decided to expel Pham Cong Tac from the Party.

Earlier the same day, the Party Central Committee decided to expel former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long from the Party for their involvement in a COVID-19 test kit scam.

Pham Cong Tac is one of the officials of the health and science ministries in the 2016-2021 term, who had been negligent in their management, allowing violations at the ministries and their units regarding the approval, management and sale of COVID-19 test kits.

Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A, admitted in January that he had inflated the price of a COVID-19 test kit by 45 percent and sent around VND800 billion as "bonuses" to company partners. He said he had bribed certain individuals in this regard.

Several officials including high-ranking military generals and directors of provincial branches of the Center for Diseases Control have been arrested or placed under criminal investigation for their involvement in the case./.