VietNamNet Bridge – Agencies needed to speed up the legal procedure for handling corruption cases, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged in the Central Steering Committee for Anti-corruption meeting yesterday, April 6.


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Speaking to review the Committee's operations in the first quarter and build plans for the second quarter, Dung appreciated the achievements in fighting corruption, which helped consolidate people's confidence in the Party and State's policies.


However, Dung, who is also the Committee's head, pointed out shortcomings, such as delayed detection and handling of corruption cases.


He asked committee members, judicial authorities, and supervisors at all levels to strengthen their co-ordination and figure out how to overcome the committee's deficiencies.


Ministries, central agencies and localities must continue implementing anti-corruption measures drastically and effectively. They should focus on more efficient information dissemination and preventing corruption in land use and management, investment and construction projects, State asset management, and State budget use.


Committee members agreed that investigations in key cases were often too slow. Some cases even dragged on for three or four years.


Vu Tien Chien, office chief of the committee said there were 28 corruption cases total, with 55 defendants prosecuted and 18 cases that went to a first trial in January and February alone.


Five serious and complicated cases were still under investigation. The courts are now handling 11 cases, including those related to misuse of power, property appropriation, and bribing at Viet Nam Air Petrol Co Ltd, the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, the Bank for Investment of Development of Viet Nam, Viet Nam Forest Corporation and the Viet Nam National Sericulture Corporation.


The Ministry of Public Security is completing draft regulations to protect denunciators in corruption cases, Chien said.

For second quarter, the committee planned to complete legal procedures to be taken against individuals of four serious cases involving Song Hau farm, Da Nang-based Vinaconex 10 Company, the Viet Nam Air Petrol Co Ltd and the Corporation of Agriculture Materials.


Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh suggested that there should be clearly defined responsibilities for agency heads, local authorities and companies in which corruption cases have occurred.


Prime Minister Dung highlighted the need to strengthen anti-corruption activities through administrative procedure reform.

Also in the meeting, deputy head of the committee Truong Vinh Trong announced the Prime Minister's decision to appoint Nguyen Dinh Phach, deputy chairman of the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, to committee office chief, replacing Vu Tien Chien who will retire on May 1.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News