.jpg "Lời thú nhận của Quang Linh Vlogs và Hằng Du Mục")
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The investigation agency determined that the Kera vegetable candy advertised by Hang Du Muc and Quang Linh Vlogs, the vegetable powder ingredients used in production were not purchased from VietGAP farms.
On April 6, VTV reported on Colonel Tran Quoc Cuong, Head of the Investigation and Procedural File Appraisal Department, Office of the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency (C01) - information about the case related to Hang Du Muc and Quang Linh Vlogs.
The case came into focus when Hang Du Muc and Quang Linh Vlogs advertised and introduced Kera vegetable candy "falsely, causing confusion". From there, the police identified the defendant Nguyen Phong, Chairman of the Board of Directors (BOD) of Asia Life Joint Stock Company, as the person who organized the production according to the order of the Sisters' Group Joint Stock Company (CER).
According to Colonel Cuong, the raw material, vegetable powder, should have been purchased from the manufacturer's farms according to VietGAP standards. However, Phong directed his staff to purchase vegetable powder with contents below the standard (only 0.61-0.75%) and then announced it as 28%. Kera candy also contains sorbitol, which accounts for 35% of the ingredients, along with other additives, but is not disclosed to consumers.
Investigators allege that many people bought Kera vegetable candy because they believed it had good digestive and laxative properties, as advertised. However, the laxative effect actually came from sorbitol - a type of sugar alcohol used to sweeten.
C01 determined that 135,000 products were sold to more than 30,000 customers. The business earned over 17 billion VND from that.
Currently, Nguyen Thi Thai Hang (aka Hang Du Muc), Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of CER and Pham Quang Linh (aka Quang Linh Vlogs), member of the Board of Directors, along with Le Tuan Linh, Director, legal representative of CER; Le Thanh Cong (member of the Board of Directors) are being prosecuted and detained by C01 to investigate the crime of deceiving customers, according to Article 193 of the Penal Code; Nguyen Phong is being investigated for the crime of producing counterfeit food products, according to Article 198 of the Penal Code.
According to Colonel Cuong, Miss Thuy Tien is being investigated for her involvement in the Kera candy advertisement. Previously, she was temporarily banned from leaving the country by Dak Lak Province Police in the initial stages of the investigation, from March 15 to May 15.
In addition, Thuy Tien was administratively fined 25 million VND for not clearly informing consumers about being sponsored when providing product information on social networking platforms.
Meanwhile, before being arrested, Director and legal representative of CER Le Tuan Linh had committed that the raw materials were purchased from regions in Lam Dong, Dak Lak, and Binh Thuan, "ensuring quality and clear origin".
These products are spread on the media and social networks with misleading information, for example "one candy replaces a plate of green vegetables". A user brought this candy to the Technical Center for Standards, Metrology and Quality 2 for testing, the results showed that the whole box of 30 pills but the amount of fiber is only 0.51 grams, far less than advertised.
In the initial test results announced on March 20, the representative of the Food Safety Department noted that the exaggerated advertisement of "one candy equals a plate of vegetables" caused public reaction. The agency said that the test results of Kera candy had sugar, protein, fat and energy indicators "basically consistent with the announcement", but did not specify the fiber content. During the investigation, C01 determined that Kera vegetable candy was counterfeit and falsely advertised.
To serve the investigation, C01 requests that individuals and organizations that purchased the goods provide information for coordination in resolving the issue, including: full name, phone number, address, ID number; time of purchase, quantity, value; method of purchase, payment method (cash or bank transfer).
In particular, C01 requests to provide other important information such as the basis, basis, and reason for purchasing Kera candy. For example, due to trust in the introduction, promotion, and announcement of the product from the company or from KOLs.
In addition, the buyer needs to indicate whether he has used the product or not, if not, he must submit it to the investigation agency. C01 also wants to record whether the buyer has any requests for the investigation agency or not. Contact information: Room 3 - C01 Ministry of Public Security, 47 Pham Van Dong, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.
