Top Ben Tre province leader removed from Party positions for dishonest declaration of assets

Party Central Committee member and Secretary of Ben Tre province's Party Committee Le Duc Tho has been expelled from all Party positions for his dishonest declaration of assets.

The decision to discipline Tho was made at the eighth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee that opened in Hanoi on Monday, according to a release.

In early September, after considering a proposal from the Central Inspection Committee, the Politburo - the Party's premium decision-making body - and the Party Central Committee's Secretariat concluded that Tho had seriously violated the Party's regulations and the State's laws, breached Party members' code of conduct, and failed to set a good example by falsely declaring the origins and fluctuations of his assets.

Tho's violations were "systematic, lasting for many years". They caused very serious consequences and public frustration, affecting the Party's reputation, according to the release. Therefore, the Politburo proposed the Party Central Committee consider disciplining Tho.

Tho, 53, has a doctorate in economic management. He used to be deputy general director of state-run Vietinbank; chief of the State Bank of Vietnam Office; board member cum general director of Vietinbank, and chairman of the bank.

He was secretary of the Ben Tre Party Committee from July 2021.