Former Government Office chairman warned over violations in pandemic repatriation flight scam

The Party Central Committee's Secretariat issued an official warning to Mai Tien Dung, former Government Office chairman, on Friday for committing violations related to flights that brought Vietnamese people home from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dung is also a former Party Central Committee member and former secretary of the Government Office's Party Committee.

Considering the Central Inspection Committee's proposal, the Secretariat concluded that Mai Tien Dung, as Government Office chairman, had violated the principle of democratic centralism, Party regulations, and State laws; lacked responsibility in carrying out the task of organizing flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The violations gave rise to some Government Office officials advising against the Prime Minister's decisions, accepting bribes, and being detained.

Dung's violations caused serious consequences, negative public opinion, and undermined the reputations of Party organizations and State administrative agencies.

The Secretariat also found that Chu Xuan Dung, Hanoi's vice chairman, had shown a deteriorating political ideology, morality and lifestyle; accepted bribes; violated the principle of democratic centralism, Party regulations, State laws, rules on Party members' code of conduct and responsibility to set an example; and lacked responsibility in performance of duties.

Dung's violations caused losses to the State budget and breached the city's Party Committee's directions on prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic.

The violations also caused very serious consequences, angered the public, and adversely affected the prestige of Party organizations and state agencies. Chu Xuan Dung was expelled from the Communist Party.

Previously, on December 22, Dung was arrested for further investigation into allegedly taking bribes in the pandemic repatriation flight scam.

Investigators said that taking advantage of the flights to "rescue" Vietnamese citizens from abroad to return home due to the pandemic, many ministerial officials colluded with businesses to reap hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars illicitly.

After the pandemic broke out, Vietnam organized nearly 800 repatriation flights to bring home more than 200,000 citizens from 60 countries and territories.

When the flights were launched, many people complained they had to buy very expensive tickets and go through cumbersome procedures.