Politics & Law
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| Chief Inspector Lê Minh Khái delivers a report on anti-corruption effort to the NA. — VNA Photo |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — Fighting corruption remains a major objective for the Government in the years to come, said the Government’s Chief Inspector Lê Minh Khái in a speech to the National Assembly (NA).
Khái said the Government, with the support of the people, the business community and the press, was making progress in the fight against corruption. Investigation results and audit reports related to high-profile corruption cases were made public. Feedback from numerous organisations and communities were collected to help improve the country’s anti-corruption law.
By November this year, the Government Inspectorate had opened more than 3,400 investigations. Disciplinary actions were recommended against 89 individuals with violations founds in 443 cases. Nearly VNĐ74 billion (US$3.2 million) were recovered.
On the topic of asset declaration, 44 investigations found that four individuals had committed violations. Nearly 5,400 Government offices were inspected with numerous heads of offices being held accountable for corrupt practices under their management. Five were prosecuted, 45 received disciplinary actions and six are being reviewed.
In total, the inspectorate has conducted over 220,000 inspections. Nearly 120,000 violations were found with fines totaling up to VNĐ9.83 billion. Thousands of hectares of land were also recovered as a result. More than 27,500 complaints and allegations were handled and 462 individuals were found with violations. Among those, nine were to be investigated and prosecuted.
The chief inspector, however, admitted there was still much to be done in the fight against corruption, especially against practices designed to extort businesses and hassle people.
The number of reported cases only reflects a portion of the rampant corruption among local authorities. Although it has increased in recent years, asset recovery is still dwarfed by the amount lost. In some instances, corrupt practices were discovered within law enforcement offices. — VNS
