Vietnam has sentenced over 50 people to prison for corruption over Covid flights.
It is one of the Vietnam’s largest ever corruption prosecutions.
It involved several senior officials and a former government minister.
Prosecutors alleged the defendants extorted money from passengers taking repatriation flights.
The former minister was sentenced to 16 years for extorting over $900,000.
Others jailed included senior diplomats.
They were charged with offering or facilitating bribes and an abuse of power.
In total about $7.4 million was pocketed in bribes.
They were found guilty of taking bribes from Vietnamese nationals eager to return home after being stranded abroad when borders closed.
Four senior officials got life sentences.
Prosecutors had even asked for the death penalty for Pham Trung Kien, ex-secretary to the deputy health minister, who benefited from 253 bribes worth a total of $1.8 million.
In 2020 the government organised almost 800 flights to bring people back to Vietnam.
Former president Nguyen Xuan Phuc abruptly resigned in early 2023 over allegations of corruption during the pandemic.
