Poliburo 'severely criticizes' Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son

The Politburo, Vietnam Communist Party's premier decision-making body, said Tuesday it had reprimanded Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son for violations at his ministry related to pandemic repatriation flights.

Having "severely criticized" Son, it also instructed him to draw deep lessons and promptly issue directions to remedy the Foreign Ministry's violations.

After considering the Central Inspection Committee's proposal, the Politburo and the Party Central Commitee's Secretariat concluded that the foreign ministry's Party leaders in the 2016-2021 term had violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; lacked responsibility; and showed loose leadership and direction.

This led to the ministry, many organizations, cadres and Party members violating Party regulations and State laws in advising and organizing repatriation flights that brought Vietnamese citizens home from overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some cadres and Party members damaged political ideology, morality and lifestyle, violated regulations on Party members' code of conduct and responsibility to set an example, and accepted bribes.

Violations and shortcomings of the freign ministry's Party leaders for the 2016-2021 term "led to serious consequences that caused anger in society; falsified guidelines and policies of the Party and State; and undermined the reputation of Party organizations and the foreign relations sector."

Vu Hong Nam, former ambassador of Vietnam to Japan, was found to have damaged political ideology, morality and lifestyle; received bribes; violated the principle of democratic centralism, Party regulations, and State laws; and breached regulations of the Party members' code of conduct and responsibility to set an example.

Nam's violations "led to very serious consequences, causing bad public opinion and frustration in society and adversely affecting the reputation of Party organizations and the foreign relations sector." The Secretariat decided to expel Vu Hong Nam from the Party.

Previously, on December 21, the Central Inspection Committee had proposed the Politburo discipline Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son as he was responsible for violations related to Vietnam's pandemic repatriation flights.

The committee expelled Nguyen Hong Ha, consul general of Vietnam in Osaka, Japan from the Party; removed Tran Viet Thai, Vietnamese ambassador to Malaysia from all positions in the Party for the 2020-2025 term; reprimanded Pham Sanh Chau, former ambassador of Vietnam to India, and Vu Binh, consul general of Vietnam in Fukuoka, Japan.

In the case of giving and receiving bribes related to repatriation flights, after 11 months of investigation, the Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency detained nearly 30 people, many of whom were officials at the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, and Transport, the Government Office, and the Ministry of Public Security’s immigration department.

Among those people are To Anh Dung, Deputy Foreign Minister and Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

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 more than 60 countries and territories.

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