Vietnam shows strong resolve to root out corruption

VOV.VN - Vietnam has stepped up the tough, protracted battle against corruption over the past few years, with some of notorious graft scandals being brought to court.

Corruption fight never slackens

On June 29, the Hanoi Military Court made the final judgment against five former Coast Guard generals charged with asset embezzlement of VND50 billion at the Coast Guard Command.

Accordingly, the court sentenced defendant Nguyen Van Son, former Lieutenant General and former Coast Guard commander, to 16 years in prison. Other former generals involved in the case received prison sentences ranging from 15 years to 15 years and 6 months.

This is one of the five notorious graft scandals being urgently brought to trial in the second quarter of 2023 at the request of the Central Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control.

The anti-corruption campaign launched and directed by the Communist Party of Vietnam has brought about encouraging results in recent times. Many former high-ranking officials stood trial for their engagement in graft scandals, causing serious consequences and stirring up anger in society.

Justice has been done in every case, and convicted defendants have been asked to rectify their wrongdoings. The results show that anti-corruption, as Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has affirmed, ‘never slackens off, that there are no ‘restricted areas’, and that there is ‘no exception’ in corruption prevention.

In fact, the past decade has seen the anti-corruption drive dubbed ‘the fight against internal invaders’ led by the Party General Secretary make initial breakthroughs, as evidenced by the increasing number of high-ranking officials and Party members going to court for their committed violations.

From January to May 2023 alone, more than 100 Party organizations and more than 3,600 Party members were disciplined. It’s noteworthy that the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Inspection disciplined 12 Party organizations and dozens of ranking officials, including a former member of the Party Central Committee, three heads and former heads of the provincial administrations, and two military generals.

Competent agencies nationwide investigated and prosecuted 1,099 cases with 2,411 individuals accused of corruption or economic crimes. They prosecuted 242 new cases with 864 individuals accused of corruption alone, twice as many as the number recorded in the same period in 2022.

The competent agencies brought to light many large, complex, systematic, and well organized cases involving many ministries, agencies and localities, both in the state and non-state sectors. Some notorious cases include wrongdoings at the Vietnam Register and its register centres in localities, the bribery scandal for repatriation flights at the Consular Department, the test kit scandal at Viet A Technologies JSC, the share manipulation scandal at FLC Group, and the medical supply procurement violations at AIC – Vietnam Valuation and Investment JSC.

One year after the Provincial/Municipal Steering Committees for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control were established, the fight against corruption and negativity at the grassroots-level has made remarkable progress. Many localities prosecuted officials who were vice chairpersons of the provincial administrations, members of the provincial Party committees, directors of provincial departments, as well as heads and deputy heads of the district administrations.

People’s trust consolidated  

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee for Internal Affairs Nguyen Thai Hoc points out that Vietnam has made strides in combating corruption and negativity by bringing to light big, serious, complicated cases.

“It was not until recently that competent agencies made clear the nature of corrupt and negative behavior, that is the act of giving and receiving bribes, with its full dangerous and serious nature. This is a new step in the fight against corruption and negativity,” says Hoc.

In his opinions, the organization of the trial in absentia for defendants shows the Party’s determination to root out corruption even though the defendants are hiding abroad. Graft cases have been handled in a more increasingly methodical, more secure, and more convincing manner according to strict procedures through thorough inspection, investigation, prosecution, trial and judgment enforcement.

Major General Nguyen Duc Huy, a revolutionary veteran, who has closely followed meetings of the Party Central Inspection Commission or meetings of the Party Central Steering Commission, expressed his high confidence in the Party’s corruption fight.

“We have handled many notorious cases, helping to strengthen people’s trust in the Party and the regime. This is a very important result,” said Huy.

Besides the gains, it must be frankly acknowledged that corruption in some sensitive areas remain serious and complicated, with increasingly sophisticated and cunning manifestations, causing frustration in society. Corruption is still one of the dangers posing a threat to the survival of the Party and the regime.

Addressing the May 2023 meeting of the standing board of the Central Steering Committee, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong asked the Steering Committee and relevant agencies to step up the corruption and negativity fight, with a focus on combating the deterioration in political ideology, morality and lifestyle among a segment of ranking officials and Party members.

He also reminded Party organisations and administrations to repel the psychology of fear of wrongdoings among ranking officials and Party members, especially leaders and managers at all levels, while early and proactively nipping in the bud their corrupt behaviour.

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