Party General Secretary, President Nguyễn Phú Trọng speaks at the 15th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption in Hà Nội on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary, President Nguyễn Phú Trọng has urged the central anti-corruption body not to rest on its laurels in 2019.

Chairing the 15th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption in Hà Nội on Monday to review the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption’s performance in 2018 and etch out missions for 2019, Trọng noted that in 2019 and the coming years, the country’s đổi mới (renewal) and development would be moving to a new and higher stage, making the fight against corruption more difficult and complicated.

“We must achieve better results than in 2018 across all agencies and sectors,” said Trọng, who is also head of the committee, adding that in 2019, the committee would focus on speeding up the completion of institutions regarding socio-economic management and anti-corruption, striving to push forward building prevention mechanisms to ensure there was no room for corruption.
The committee will propose a number of major policies and orientations on anti-corruption to serve draft documents from the Party’s 13th Congress, while also keeping a closer watch on areas that had drawn negative public attention, settling corruption and economic cases that were under investigation and prosecution, and uncovering new cases.
This year, the committee aims to issue directions on concluding investigations into 21 cases. Legal proceedings will be conducted on 22 cases, first instance trials on 27 cases, second instance trials on 10 cases, and finalisation on 43 others.
Together with tackling problems in asset evaluation, verification and reclamation, as well as fixing damage in specific cases, the committee will work to strengthen anti-corruption measures at a local level and promote the role of elected agencies, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front, socio-politic organisations, and the media in corruption prevention and control.

At the meeting, members of the committee agreed anti-corruption activities had made comprehensive results.
A number of resolutions, directives and regulations have been issued to strengthen Party building and purification efforts; as well as fighting corruption, degradation, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”.
The National Assembly and Government have also introduced several legal documents to complete socio-economic institutionalisation, prevent corruption and fix loopholes in the legal system. Since the beginning of the tenure, the NA has passed 45 laws and 46 resolutions; and the Government 511 decrees, 413 resolutions and 160 decisions.
The inspection, auditing, investigation and prosecution of corruption cases have been conducted effectively, resulting in breakthroughs in handling violations.
Last year, the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission took disciplinary measures on more than 650 Party members, while 38 centrally-managed officials and Party members were also dealt with. Since the start of the Communist Party of Việt Nam’s 12th tenure, more than 60 centrally-managed officials have been punished.
In 2018, the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption concluded investigations into 23 cases with 222 suspects, and commenced proceedings on 20 cases with 251 individuals, a rise of 43.75 per cent and 66.7 per cent respectively. First hearings were held for 23 cases with 304 defendants, five times higher than the number of cases in 2017. In particular, 10 major corruption cases that drew special attention from the public were brought to court. — VNS