Vietnam Eradicates Corruption, Country Leaders Fall
Vietnam's eradication of corruption was followed by political upheaval. The speaker of Parliament stepped down following the resignation of the president last month.
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Vietnamese Parliament Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue in session in October 2023.
HANOI, SATURDAY — Chairman of Parliament Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue resigned because he was involved in corruption infrastructure projects /a>. He followed Vo Van Thuong who stepped down from the presidency due to corruption issues.
Also read: Struggling with Corruption, Vietnam's President Resigns
The statement does not specifically explain the mentioned violations and shortcomings. "The violations and shortcomings of Comrade Vuong Dinh Hue have caused negative public opinion, affecting the reputation of the party, the state, and himself personally," said the Communist Party Central Committee statement.
The party will also remove Hue from the Central Committee and the Politburo. The Vietnamese parliament will discuss the dismissal in a plenary session during the next session. According to previous year's schedule, the session period will begin on May 20th.
A memorial to Vietnam's victory in the war against France is seen in Hanoi on Thursday (25/4/2024).
As the Speaker of the Parliament, Hue is one of the four highest leaders in Vietnam. He is also mentioned as one of the candidates for the Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the most powerful position in the country.
Hue's resignation came just days after his assistant, Pham Thai Ha (48), was arrested on suspicion of bribery. Ha was arrested by the police on charges of abuse of power. Ha also served as deputy office manager of the National Parliament. Seven people have been detained in connection with this case, including state officials and heads of companies involved in the bribery scandal.
Also read: President dragged into corruption case, Vietnam's vice president becomes acting president
The alleged bribery involves Vietnam's leading public infrastructure company, Thuang An. In a government report, Thuang An, founded in 2004, saw its assets increase 200 times. From $150,000 USD at its establishment, it has now reached $31.4 million USD as of 2021. In recent years, Thuang An has won several contracts worth millions of US dollars to build bridges and roads in several cities and provinces in Vietnam.
Replacement candidate
The party has not announced who will replace Hue and Thuong. The potential replacements will be discussed in parliament during the next session. It is also possible that a special plenary session will be held to address the issue.
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong being inaugurated in Hanoi in 2023.
Thuong had only served for a year when he suddenly stepped down from the presidency in March 2024. Vietnam's Vice President, Vo Thi Ahn Xuan, has now been appointed as the interim official.
Thuong replaced Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, who also resigned from all public positions due to being implicated in corruption. So far, five out of 18 members of the Communist Party of Vietnam's politburo have been implicated in corruption and subsequently resigned from their public positions.
Also read: Life Imprisonment for Corrupt Vietnamese Officials During the Pandemic
The resignation of five politicians from the most powerful institution has triggered a significant and unusual turmoil in Vietnam. Thus far, Vietnam has been very cautious in regulating the turnover of state officials. This is because Hanoi highly emphasizes stability.
With its stability, Vietnam has been able to attract diverse investments and build the country. This was found in a survey involving 650 business leaders. These businessmen cite stability as a reason for investing in Vietnam.
Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong at an event in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January 2021.
There are suspicions that the reshuffle is part of efforts to replace the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong (80). He is the most influential, powerful, and popular figure in Vietnam. Minister of Security To Lam is mentioned as the strongest candidate to replace him. Previously, To Lam was also a central figure in the fight against corruption.
Business figure
The crackdown on corruption in Vietnam is not only targeting officials and politicians. Out of the 4,400 people involved in corruption cases, some are businessmen. One of them is property tycoon, Truong My Lan, who was sentenced to death in early April 2024. The businesswoman was found guilty in a multi-billion dollar fraud case.
Also read: Total War Against Corruption in Vietnam
His actions have caused thousands of people to lose their savings in a leading private bank in Vietnam. This has forced the Vietnamese central bank to inject a fund of 24 billion US dollars in a rescue effort.
On Thursday (25/4/2024), the prominent soft drink tycoon from Vietnam, Tran Qui Thanh (70), was sentenced to eight years in prison in a fraud case worth 40 million US dollars. The court in Ho Chi Minh City found Thanh and his two daughters guilty of deceiving investors over loans given in 2019 and 2020.
Vietnamese conglomerate Tran Qui Thanh was brought into the courtroom in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, on Thursday (25/4/2024).
Thanh is the chairman of the Tan Hiep Phat beverage group. He was found guilty of masterminding fraud against assets that were used as collateral for loans. The court also sentenced Thanh's daughter, Tran Uyen Phuong (43), who is the company's vice CEO, to four years in prison. Meanwhile, his youngest daughter, Tran Ngoc Bich (40), was given a three-year probationary sentence. (AFP/REUTERS)
