Party General Secretary Tô Lâm speaks at the meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Corruption, Wastefulness and Negative Phenomena to review performance since the beginning of the year and outline key tasks for the first half of 2026. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Tô Lâm has called for stronger inspections, audits, investigations, prosecutions and trials of corruption, wastefulness and misconduct cases, stressing the need to bring to a close serious and complex cases that have drawn public concern.

He also emphasised the importance of stepping up efforts to prevent and combat wastefulness and negative practices in line with the country’s development requirements in the new phase.

The Party chief made the remarks on Wednesday while chairing a meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Corruption, Wastefulness and Negative Phenomena to review performance since the start of the year and outline key tasks for the first half of 2026.

According to a report presented at the meeting, since the start of 2026, prosecuting agencies have initiated 1,151 new cases involving 2,367 defendants, filed indictments in 757 cases involving 1,847 defendants, and completed first-instance trials in 604 cases involving 1,733 defendants, all related to corruption, economic and abuse-of-power offences.

The CPV Central Committee’s Inspection Commission has advised the Politburo and Secretariat to establish 22 supervisory delegations to oversee the study, dissemination and implementation of the 14th National Party Congress Resolution, and to inspect the organisation and operation of agencies following the rollout of the two-tier local government model.

Meanwhile, the Government Inspectorate and the State Audit Office have implemented inspection and audit plans focusing on sectors prone to corruption, waste and misconduct.

The Government’s Party Committee and the Prime Minister have also directed ministries and central agencies to review and resolve obstacles facing delayed projects that are at risk of losses and waste. To date, 1,023 projects have had their bottlenecks addressed, while solutions have been identified for 2,347 others.

Concluding the meeting, General Secretary Tô Lâm commended the progress achieved but stressed that more decisive action is needed.

He called for continued efforts to refine institutions and translate the Party’s orientations, tasks and solutions on anti-corruption, wastefulness and misconduct into concrete legal frameworks in line with the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress.

The Government’s Party Committee and the National Assembly’s Party Committee were tasked with closely coordinating to submit special resolutions to the National Assembly to promptly institutionalise Party policies on handling law violations.

The Party chief also emphasised the need to strengthen power control and supervision of policy implementation, particularly in the context of building a two-tier local government system.

He urged a shift in inspection and supervision towards early and proactive prevention, monitoring from the outset the implementation of policies and major national and local projects, controlling power throughout the execution process, and identifying risks before violations occur.

The Party chief highlighted the need to accelerate the development of national and specialised databases, ensuring interconnectivity to support public services on digital platforms, thereby reducing direct contact and limiting opportunities for harassment and corruption that affect citizens and businesses.

In response to new demands, he called on both central and provincial steering committees to renew their thinking and approaches to effectively tackle corruption, wastefulness and misconduct while also promoting socio-economic development.

Greater decentralisation and delegation of authority to provincial-level committees were also encouraged.

The CPV's Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs and other central agencies were tasked with strengthening guidance, monitoring, inspection and supervision of the implementation.

The committee also reported intensified efforts to inspect, investigate and handle serious, complex and high-profile cases. Notably, it agreed to place a case involving alleged violations of bidding regulations, bribery and the acceptance of bribes at the Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) and related units under its direct direct supervision. — VNS