The Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption held a national conference on corruption prevention in Hanoi on June 25^th, chaired by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also head of the committee.

Overview of the conference's opening session. (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, the Party leader said the conference aims to review anti-corruption work since the Party’s 12^th National Congress and define future plans and tasks.

Participants will also evaluate the performance of the committee over the past five years, pointing out its shortcomings, difficulties and weakness and sketching solutions to deal with them, he stressed.

The Party leader added that practical issues related to the strengthening of corruption prevention will be discussed.

“The long-term fight still faces many complicated difficulties and challenges. I hope that after this conference, new and stronger, more drastic and effective changes will be made,” stated the Party chief.

According to a report delivered by Phan Dinh Trac, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs and deputy head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, since the previous conference in 2014, especially since the Party’s 12^th National Congress in January 2016, anti-corruption work has been implemented well, resulting in many achievements.

The results have been lauded by the community and recognised by international organisations, read the report.

At the same time, many regulations and laws of the Party and States have been issued to strengthen the building of the Party and political system and to combat corruption.

Since 2014, disciplinary measures have been applied on 840 Party organisations and 58,120 Party members, of whom, 2,720 violated anti-corruption regulations.

Since the beginning of 2016, 490 Party organisations and 35,000 Party members have been punished, including 1,300 Party members involved in corruption.

Notably, 50 centrally-managed officials, including nine members or former members of the Party Central Committee, received disciplinary measures. Among them, Dinh La Thang, a member of the Party Central Committee and former member of the Politburo, was expelled from the Party.

Over the years, many serious corruption and economic cases were brought to light and handled in accordance with the law without any exceptions.

Outstanding cases included those involving Vu Quoc Hao, Vu Viet Hung, Duong Chi Dung, Huynh Thi Huyen Nhu, Nguyen Duc Kien, Le Dung, Chau Thi Thu Nga, Giang Kim Dat, Trinh Xuan Thanh, Pham Cong Danh, Ha Van Tham, Phan Van Anh Vu, Dinh Ngoc He and the massive gambling case in Phu Tho and some other localities.

Agencies have openly provided information on the cases to the public and the media, thus promoting the role of the press in anti-corruption.

The role of elected agencies, along with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political-social organisations and people in the work has been optimised, while international cooperation in anti-corruption has been expanded, stated the report.

Outcomes in anti-corruption work have helped purify the Party and State organisation and the political system, while reinforcing confidence of Party members and people, creating new momentum for the successful implementation of the Party National Congress’ resolution, the report added.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

PUBLIC TRUST

The public have expressed their trust in the resolve of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State to fight corruption ahead of the national conference on corruption prevention and fight.

Nguyen Tuc, member of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee, highlighted remarkable changes in the anti-corruption work after the 12^th Party Central Committee adopted the Resolution on Party building at its 4^th plenum.

The changes can be seen most clearly in the revelation and trial of many corruption cases, with many high-ranking officials brought to court for their law violations.

However, those are only initial outcomes, Tuc said, stressing that besides fighting corruption, it is necessary to revise existing policies and laws to make them suitable to the current situation.

Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Politics Academy Le Quoc Ly said the outcomes of the anti-corruption fight have won approval from the public and enhanced their trust into the leadership and resolve of the Party in combating this evil.

The trial of corruption cases recently has demonstrated that the Party does not compromise with corruption and tolerate no “banning zone” in the fight, he said.

The scholar noted that prevention is better than fight, and urged the establishment of institutions for agencies to monitor each other and for the people to supervise State and Government agencies.

Luu Binh Nhuong, a permanent member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, called for consolidating the apparatus and personnel of Party and State agencies directly involved in corruption prevention and fight, and strengthening the supervision of the NA, NA deputies and elected agencies in localities.

He also urged the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organisations to perform well their role as supervisor and social critic, and the public as well as the media to participate stronger into the anti-corruption fight.

According to Ngo Duy Hieu, head of the Department of Labour Relations under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the fight against corruption in the country is being intensified in a result-oriented manner, under strong instruction with high resolve and drastic actions.

He said in the time to come, more attention should be paid to completing institutions in order to minimise opportunities for corrupt officials, while corruption cases and degraded officials should continue to be tried in a strict manner./.

VNF/VNA