Trịnh Xuân Thanh

HÀ NỘI — The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission met in Hà Nội from November 28-30 to discuss and decide disciplinary measures on some individuals for violations related to personnel reception, transfer, and appointment, and award to Trịnh Xuân Thanh, former Vice Chairman of the Hậu Giang provincial People’s Committee. 

The meeting was chaired by Politburo member Trần Quốc Vượng, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Inspection Commission. 

The commission requested imposing disciplines on former Secretary of southern Hậu Giang provincial Party Committee for 2010-15 Huỳnh Minh Chắc; Secretary of the provincial Party Committee for 2015-20 Trần Công Chánh; former deputy head of the standing board of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Trần Lưu Hải; former advisor to head of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission Bùi Cao Tỉnh; Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Emulation and Commendation Trần Thị Hà; and Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs Trần Anh Tuấn and Nguyễn Duy Thăng. 

Chắc was found to violate regulations on personnel work and the provincial Party Committee’s working regulations regarding the reception of Trịnh Xuân Thanh from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to take the position of Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and join the provincial Party Committee. 

Chánh, in his capacity as Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee from 2010-15, was at fault for directing the provincial police to issue government licence plate to a private car driven by Thanh. 
He was also responsible for flaws and violations involving the transfer of Thanh to the local authorities. 

Hải showed a lack of responsibility when he signed the Organisation Commission’s document on allowing the province to appoint another Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee for 2011-16, which is against the Politburo’s and Secretariat’s decisions. 

Tỉnh was responsible for giving wrong advice on the document allowing Hậu Giang to appoint another Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee for 2011-16, which is against the Politburo’s and Secretariat’s decisions. 

Hà directed the appraisal of procedures, criteria and qualifications to submit to authorised agencies to present Order and the title of Labour Hero to the Việt Nam National Oil and Gas Group, the Government’s certificate of merit and Order to Thanh. 

Tuấn was found to have violations of approving the reception, recruitment, appointment of Thanh and failing to suggest the MoIT revoke and repeal wrong decisions on the regard. 

Thắng was found to wrongly propose authorised agencies approve Thanh’s position as Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee. 

Considering the level of violations, the Inspection Commission decided to give warning to Tỉnh, reprimand Chánh and Hà. 

The Inspection Commission asked the Secretariat to give warning to Chắc and Hải. 
Between 2007-13, in his positions as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director General of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC), and later as Secretary of the corporation’ Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Managers, Trịnh Xuân Thanh showed irresponsibility and negligence in the leadership and management of the corporation’s operation, and violated legal regulations on business administration, resulting in many wrongdoings and losses of nearly VNĐ3.3 trillion (US$142 million). 

As the top official of the corporation, Thanh must bear the main responsibility for the mistakes and wrongdoings, but he was not serious and honest in acknowledging them.  

After being transferred to the Mekong Delta province of Hậu Giang, while serving as a member of the provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Thanh used an official plate on his private-owned luxury Lexus car, which was illegal.     

Thanh was responsible for the wrongdoings, law violations and losses at the PVC, leaders of the Việt Nam National Oil and Gas Group assessed that he had not fulfilled his duty and removed him from the position of Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Management of the PVC.

This meant he was not eligible for any promotion or transfer, but Thanh himself proposed for his transfer and let relevant agencies conduct procedures to appoint him to leading positions at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Hậu Giang province, which showed his dishonesty and irresponsibility.    

Furthermore, he was dishonest and unrepentant during the self-criticism process. 
Thanh was expelled from the Party and the Ministry of Public Security issued an arrest warrant domestically and internationally for him. — VNS