VietJet’s E-commerce Chief Under House Arrest Over Alleged Bribery

The Head of E-commerce at VietJetAir, Nguyen Manh Cuong, is currently under house arrest following allegations of providing bribes to secure lucrative Covid-19 repatriation flights. Vietnamese authorities arrested Cuong in mid-September, along with several others, as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption related to repatriation flights conducted by Vietnamese airlines during the pandemic.

Between the pandemic’s onset and mid-2021, Vietnamese airlines, including VietJetAir, operated a total of 372 repatriation flights. Prosecutors claim that during this period, numerous entities and individuals engaged in bribery transactions totaling VND165 billion dong (USD6.8 million).

Nguyen Manh Cuong and four others, including a former deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam’s Aviation Transport Department, were arrested simultaneously. It is important to note that while these allegations have been made, they have not been proven in court.

This recent development is part of a broader and long-running bribery investigation that resulted in 54 individuals being found guilty and sentenced in July by the Hanoi People’s Court. Former government officials from various departments, including foreign affairs, transport, public health, and immigration, were among those convicted. Some received life sentences, while others were sentenced to ten or more years in prison. Prosecutors have indicated that the investigation has entered its second phase. The latest arrests underscore the continued efforts to address corruption in connection with Covid-19 repatriation flights in Vietnam.