Võ Kim Cự current Party Secretary-cum-Chairman of the Việt Nam Co-operative Alliance had personally signed several documents related to Formosa activities in Hà Tĩnh Province. – Photo tuoitre.vn

HÀ NỘI – Several leaders and former leaders will be stripped off their Party titles for their roles in the infamous Formosa episode, the Party’s Central Inspection Commission (CIC) said yesterday.

After a two-day (April 12-13) meeting on disciplinary actions to be taken against people involved in one of the worst environmental disaster in Việt Nam, the CIC said that Võ Kim Cự, current Party Secretary-cum-Chairman of the Việt Nam Co-operative Alliance, had personally signed several documents related to Formosa activities in Hà Tĩnh Province.

Cự was found to be “mainly responsible for wrongdoings” from 2008-2016, during which period he served as the Secretary of the Party Committee and the People’s Committee Chairman. He was also found to have committed violations as the Head of Hà Tĩnh Economic Zone Management Board (EZMB) from 2008 to 2010.

His successor at the EZMB, Hồ Anh Tuấn, also signed illegal documents allowing Formosa to start construction, instead of following the normal procedures.

The CIC concluded that wrongdoings by both officials were “serious” and recommended that Tuấn’s title as Secretary of the Hà Tĩnh EZMB during his two terms of 2005-2010 and 2010-2015 be rescinded.

It also said legal proceedings should be initiated against Võ Kim Cự.

Environmental leaders fingered

Also yesterday, the CIC affixed responsibilities of former top leaders of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Former Politburo member and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyễn Minh Quang, was held responsible for infringements by the Party delegation to the ministry.

Former deputy minister and former Director General of the Việt Nam Environment Administration (VEA) Bùi Cách Tuyến, was found to have acted irresponsibly in signing Formosa’s environmental impact report and loosening inspection work on the group’s environmental protection facilities.

Another former deputy minister, Nguyễn Thái Lai, also acted irresponsibly in examining and signing Formosa’s sewage discharge licence.

Lương Duy Hanh, Director of the VEA’s Environmental Protection Activities Control Department, displayed a lack of responsibility when serving as the head of the inspection team on the Formosa project, the CIC said.

During his tenure as the VEA’s Environmental Appraisal and Impact Assessment Department Director, Mai Thanh Dung, was irresponsible in reassessing Formosa’s environmental impact report.

The CIC said that infringements by the ministry’s Party Civil Affairs Committee and concerned individuals were “serious.”

It asked the Party’s Secretariat to consider penalties against all three former environmental officials while stripping Lương Duy Hanh of all Party titles.

In Mai Thanh Dung’s case, the ministry’s Party Committee had already removed him from the VEA’s Party Standing Committee.

He was also demoted from the VEA’s Deputy Director General position, and now serves as Deputy Head of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment. – VNS