Appeal postponed for ex-deputy minister jailed over labour bribes

Nguyễn Bá Hoan and nine other defendants at the appeal hearing on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — An appeals court on Friday postponed the hearing of a former deputy minister sentenced to 12 years in prison for taking bribes from companies seeking to send workers abroad.

Nguyễn Bá Hoan, who served as deputy minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, was convicted of pocketing more than VNĐ16 billion (US$625,000).

He was among 10 defendants who appealed, all of whom have admitted the charges and are seeking only lighter sentences, the appeals court said.

The Hà Nội-based court granted the delay at the request of several defendants and their lawyers, while prosecutors also recommended a postponement. Other defendants sought to change or add defence lawyers.

One appellant, Nghiêm Quốc Hưng, chairman and chief executive of Hoàng Long Investment Construction and Manpower Supply JSC, withdrew his appeal in court on Friday.

The Hà Nội People’s Court originally tried Hoan and 27 other defendants on charges of taking bribes, brokering bribes and violating accounting rules.

The case involved Hoàng Long, several related organisations and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, which was merged into the Ministry of Home Affairs in March 2025.

The trial court sentenced Lê Thanh Hà, former head of the labour management office at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea, to four years in prison for taking bribes.

Tống Hải Nam, who headed the ministry’s Department of Overseas Labour, received 14 years, while five other department officials who appealed were given sentences ranging from suspended terms to seven years in prison.

While overseeing the department between 2021 and 2025, Hoan knowingly allowed Nam to direct officials to obstruct companies applying for licences to send workers abroad, according to the verdict.

The defendants forced companies to pay VNĐ100-400 million ($3,900-$15,600) to obtain a licence.

Hoan also let Nam devise and run an unlawful procedure for approving companies’ overseas labour supply contracts. It imposed document requirements that companies could not meet on their own, forcing them to pay about $500 per worker to secure approval.

In all, Hoan, Nam and several department officials took more than VNĐ30 billion ($1.2 million) in bribes from individuals at 31 companies, the trial court found.

The verdict said Hoan personally signed 14 licences and approved an unlawful process for vetting applications to send workers to the Republic of Korea on E-7 skilled worker visas.

Companies were also forced to pay so-called fees and give cash gifts during holidays and the Lunar New Year. — VNS