Mass Trial of 100 Defendants in Ho Chi Minh City Over Fake Ballot “Storm” Scandal

On January 16th, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court commenced the first-instance trial of a large-scale counterfeit test result certificate case involving TSL Science Co., Ltd. and Avatek Science and Technology JSC. The trial includes 100 defendants, among them key executives and personnel from companies operating in the testing and certification sector.

Key defendants include Doan Huu Luong (born 1972, former Chairman of the Members’ Council, Director, and legal representative of TSL Science Co., Ltd.) and Ho Thi Thanh Phuong (born 1981, former CEO of TSL Science Co., Ltd. and Director of Avatek Science and Technology JSC), along with 98 accomplices.

According to the indictment, the defendants are charged with “Forgery in Work,” “Bribery,” and “Exploiting Influence to Gain Advantages.”

Sophisticated and Systematic Counterfeiting Scheme

Tight security measures were in place from early morning, with only summoned individuals granted access to the courtroom.

Investigations revealed that the counterfeit test result certificate operations at both companies were meticulously organized, spanning several years, with a closed process from document submission to certificate issuance.

To attract clients and gain a competitive edge, the leadership of both companies implemented a policy of “client support,” which essentially involved fabricating test results for profit. In many cases, clients did not need to submit samples; they only provided product information and required parameters, and employees would fabricate compliant results without conducting any actual testing.

For samples that were submitted but failed to meet standards, technical staff were instructed to manipulate biochemical parameters to convert “fail” results into “pass” results. Additionally, the defendants backdated test dates on certificates to legitimize batches produced or imported before the actual testing dates. To attract intermediaries, the companies offered high discounts, reaching up to 30% of the value of each certificate.

Coordination via Zalo and Parallel Management of “Real and Fake” Certificates

Counterfeiting instructions and assignments were primarily communicated through internal Zalo groups such as “HCM Service,” “HN Service Department” (at TSL), and “Urgent Testing,” “Service” (at Avatek). The sales department received requests from clients or intermediaries and then forwarded the information to these groups for approval and instructions from technical leaders to input falsified data.

Notably, to evade detection by authorities, the two companies used software to manage two parallel certificate systems. At TSL, software such as LIMS, tsllabs.vn, and tsltesting.com were configured with different codes to distinguish between real and fake certificates. Similarly, at Avatek, the Labs.avatek.vn software was divided into two separate links, one exclusively for issuing fake certificates, identifiable by unique codes, special characters, and the absence of a “sample receipt” code.

At TSL, a specialized unit called the “Demo Team” was established with the sole responsibility of accessing specific links in the software to input falsified data. Once completed, the fake certificates were printed, stamped, and signed by executives, indistinguishable from genuine certificates.

Through this scheme, the two companies issued over 220,000 counterfeit test result certificates, illegally profiting hundreds of billions of dong from thousands of businesses nationwide.

The trial is expected to last several days.