Phạm Trọng Đạt. — Photo soha.vn

Phạm Trọng Đạt, Head of the government Inspectorate’s Anti-Corruption Bureau talks to the media on what should be revised in the current Law on Anti-Corruption

How do you respond to reports saying that corruption was discovered within anti-corruption agencies in Việt Nam?

Indeed, some corruption cases were uncovered within our anti-corruption offices. In my opinion, it is not abnormal as anti corruption offices are staffed from other offices. People working in the anti-corruption offices are also the Government’s civil servants.

That’s why, in order to prevent corruption, it is important to have a good management policy and a strict inspection policy, particularly in the anti-corruption offices.

What are the key challenges that the Government Inspectorate’s Anti-Corruption Bureau have been facing while performing their tasks?

We have to complete our procedures step by step to ensure our work performance continues to improve. One of the challenges that the bureau has been facing is a shortage of human resources. Our missions require a lot of work. This is the case both in the cities and in the provinces.

That’s why in my opinion, we need an integrated effort from the whole political system in the fight against corruption.

Under the Law on Anti-Corruption, all senior government officials have to declare their assets annually and Government inspectors will act as core members of these inspections. The government inspections have been gathering reports from all provinces and cities nationwide and making their summary reports.

Under the anti corruption law, it is the task of Government inspectors to verify reports that they have received from local provinces and cities. The problem is that many offices and provinces have not submitted their reports to us as they were asked to do. This has become a big problem for us as if we don’t receive reports from all 63 provinces and cities, how can we write a national report on anti -orruption activities?

During their discussion of the draft revised Anti-Corruption Law, a number of the National Assembly delegates raised the idea of having an independent inspection agency to check asset reports by Government officials and public employees. How do you respond to that idea?

Having an independent inspection agency to verify these asset reports is not very important. In my opinion, what we need is a specific mechanism and guidelines from the Government as well as people to do it. We need a strong mechanism that will deter people from corruption.

To solve these problems, I think we need to have a special agency or office to manage, archive, appraise and verify these asset reports. And this agency will take full responsibility for the management of the asset reports.

In my opinion, the National Assembly should adopt specific policy on asset declarations by all Government officials and public employees. — VNS