Vietnam Politburo member in hot water

The Central Inspection Commission has proposed the Politburo and the Party Central Committee's Secretariat take disciplinary action against Tran Tuan Anh, a Politburo member and head of the Central Economic Commission, as Vietnam's anti-corruption drive intensifies.

Other former government officials, namely former Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, former Minister-Government Office Chairman Mai Tien Dung, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and chairman of Petrovietnam Hoang Quoc Vuong, are also likely to face disciplinary action.

The proposal was made after the Central Inspection Commission gathered on January 10, 11 and 19.

The commission also recommended disciplinary action against the trade ministry's Party Committee for the terms 2016-2021 and 2021-2026. Tran Tuan Anh was Minister of Industry and Trade cum head of the ministry’s Party Committee in the 2016-2021 period.

The Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency initiated criminal proceedings against and detained Do Thang Hai and Hoang Quoc Vuong in December and earlier this month, respectively, to further investigate their wrongdoings.

The commission stripped the Party membership of a deputy director of the finance ministry's price management department, and and three officials of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and the trade ministry's electricity regulatory authority.

It also issued a warning against the Standing Committee of the trade ministry’s Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term, Party units of several departments of the ministry and a number of former officials of the ministry and EVN.

The actions followed up conclusions made by the Central Inspection Commission last month regarding violations of the Party’s democratic centralism principle and a lack of responsibility at the ministry’s Party Committee.

The commission also found out violations related to their recommendations and adoption of mechanisms for developing solar power and wind power; implementation of the adjusted Power Development Plan VII; adoption of gasoline trading mechanisms, misuse of the Price Stabilization Fund; carrying out biddings with Advanced International JS Company (AIC).

The inspectors concluded that the above-mentioned violations and mismanagement had caused serious consequences which will be hard to remedy, leading to potential heavy losses to state assets and triggering public indignation.

Early last year, the Vietnamese parliament released then-Deputy Minister Pham Binh Minh and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, both members of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body in the country, from their duties.