Strong sanctions needed to cut off 'backyard' business relationships: police chief

Specific regulations and strong sanctions are needed to cut off cronyism relationships between officials and businesses, to prevent individuals from manipulating state agencies and reaping illegal benefits, said Minister of Public Security To Lam on Tuesday.

The minister made the remarks while responding to legislators’ queries on measures to improve the effectiveness of the fight against corruption and negative phenomena at a Q&A session as part of the ongoing sitting of the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislature.

He stressed the need to focus on perfecting institutions and improving the efficiency of state management in all fields, while addressing legal loopholes.

"Attention should be paid to reviewing and supplementing regulations on controlling power, especially that of heads of ministries, sectors and localities," he noted.

Regarding the handling of violators, Minister Lam said that most violators had been charged with "property embezzlement" or "giving and accepting bribes."

"We have not arrested anyone involved in the two crimes who did not receive money. I believe that people agree that those who abuse their positions and power to accept bribes should be punished," he emphasized.

In some cases, the number of victims is very large, so recovering assets is extremely important, he said. “We must fight corruption and also recover assets belonging to the state and its people,” he affirmed.

The minister also proposed promoting digital transformation to ensure publicity and transparency in all fields whilst limiting corruption, especially "petty corruption."

According to Lam, his ministry has stepped up its investigations and handling of corruption cases and negative phenomena. Prominent among those were the Covid-19 test kit scam at Viet A Company and the case of accepting bribes in the “rescue flights” that brought Vietnamese citizens home during the pandemic, with many government officials and business leaders arrested.

Viet A Company chairman and general director Phan Quoc Viet admitted that he paid bribes of more than VND86 billion ($3.6 million) to ministry officials for helping his company to sell Covid-19 test kits, said investigators.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long received $2.25 million from Viet, while his secretary Nguyen Huynh got VND4 billion (170,000). Nguyen Minh Tuan, director of the health ministry's medical equipment and construction department, got $300,000; and Nguyen Nam Lien, director of the ministry’s financial planning department, received $100,000.

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.

A court in Hanoi in July sentenced four of them to life imprisonment. Former Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung was sentenced to 16 years in prison.