VietNamNet Bridge – According to Decree 68 which will take effect as of September 30, 2011, state officials who declare their personal assets dishonestly may be dismissed.

Difficult to check asset declaration of NA candidates

Civil servants must declare assets to minimise Government corruption

Officials, civil servants fail to meet deadline to declare assets, earnings

The new decree was issued on August 8, with new regulations on asset transparency of state officials.

One of the new points include: officials who have duty to declare personal assets must bear responsibility for the accuracy of their declarations; officials only have to make supplementary asset declaration on annual basis if their assets fluctuate from at least VND50 million dong ($2,500) during the year.

Asset declarations must be made public at the workplaces of officials for at least 30 days, from December 31 to March 31 of the next year.

Particularly, the report on assets and income of candidates of the National Assembly and People’s Councils must be announced at the locations where the deputies work or reside. The report on assets and income of officials who are elected and approved by the National Assembly and People’s Councils, must be made public to deputies of the National Assembly and People’s Councils at the NA and People’s Council sessions.

The new Decree adds new form of punishment for officials who make false asset declaration. Under the old regulations, the punishments only include reprimand, warning and degrading wage level but now they face dismissal.

Moreover, the chiefs of state agencies where personal asset declaration is implemented slowly will be also punished in the forms of reprimand, warning or degrading wages.

PV