The Politburo directed to thoroughly handle serious corruption and negative cases.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chairs a Politburo meeting on the morning of March 11, 2022. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

"On April 6, 2022, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership in the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity. Accordingly, based on the report on the results of 5 years of implementing Conclusion No. 10-KL/TW, dated December 26, 2016 of the 12th Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution of the 10th Central Committee on strengthening the Party's leadership in the work of preventing and combating corruption and waste (abbreviated as Conclusion 10), the Politburo concluded as follows:

1. Over the past five years, Party committees and organizations at all levels have seriously grasped and implemented Conclusion No. 10, creating clear and breakthrough progress in the work of preventing and combating corruption and waste. The role and responsibility of Party committees, Party organizations, cadres, Party members, civil servants and public employees in preventing and combating corruption and waste have been enhanced; the institution of corruption prevention has been gradually perfected; the work of detecting and handling corruption has been directed resolutely; corruption has been gradually restrained and prevented. The important achievements in the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity in recent times have contributed to maintaining political stability, promoting socio-economic development, building a clean and strong Party and political system, and consolidating people's trust in the Party and the regime.

However, some tasks and solutions mentioned in Conclusion No. 10 are still slow to be implemented and not very effective. Propaganda, education, and building a culture of thrift, anti-corruption, and anti-waste have not received due attention. Mechanisms, policies, and laws in many areas still have loopholes and inadequacies, and have not effectively prevented corruption and waste. Practicing thrift and fighting waste still have many limitations, and waste in state agencies and in society is still very serious. The situation of officials harassing, being negative, and causing trouble for people and businesses has not been prevented in a timely manner. There are still serious, organized, sophisticated, and complicated corruption cases that cause public outrage.

2. To continue to promote, resolutely and persistently fight against and repel corruption and negativity according to the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the Politburo requests Party committees and organizations, especially leaders, to continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement tasks and solutions according to Conclusion No. 10; closely link corruption prevention and control with negativity prevention and control; focus on performing well the following key tasks:

2.1. Continue to promote and improve the effectiveness of propaganda and education work, resolutely and persistently build a culture of thrift, no corruption, no negativity among cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and the people. Cadres and party members, first of all leaders and managers, must strictly comply with and implement the Party's regulations and the State's laws on preventing and combating corruption and negativity; properly implement the code of conduct, professional ethics, respect for integrity and honor; criticize, condemn, and actively fight against corruption and negativity. Party committees, party organizations, and leaders at all levels must uphold the spirit of responsibility, be resolute, take the lead, directly lead, direct and implement the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity; Party members must be more exemplary than the masses, cadres must be more exemplary than employees, the higher the position of cadres, the more exemplary they must be.

2.2. Urgently review, supplement and perfect the institutions for preventing corruption, waste and negativity, especially the mechanism for controlling power in areas and activities that are prone to corruption and negativity; responsibility of leaders, accountability, ensuring democracy, publicity and transparency; regulations and sanctions for party organizations, cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees who have degraded political ideology, ethics and lifestyle; mechanisms to protect and encourage people to reflect and denounce corrupt and negativist cadres and party members; mechanisms to effectively control assets and incomes of people with positions and powers, first of all leaders and managers; promote the application of information technology in management; implement a non-cash payment regime. Urgently review and overcome loopholes and inadequacies in legal documents related to bidding, auction, management and use of land, public assets, finance, securities, etc.; amend and supplement the Land Law, the Law on Anti-Corruption, the Law on Practicing Thrift and Combating Wastefulness, the Law on Inspection, the Law on Practicing Democracy in Communes, Wards and Towns, the Law on Citizen Reception and other draft laws directly related to preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity.

2.3. Strengthen inspection, supervision, audit and examination work; promote investigation, prosecution, trial and execution of judgments, timely and strict detection and handling of corruption and negative cases. Focus on inspection, supervision, audit and examination in areas, areas and positions where corruption, waste and negative cases are likely to occur, where there are many denunciations, complaints and public concern and outrage. Strictly implement the coordination mechanism to detect and handle violations right in the process of inspection, audit, investigation, prosecution, trial and execution of judgments. Direct the acceleration of investigation and final handling of serious and complicated corruption and negative cases of public concern, especially cases and incidents under the supervision and direction of the Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption and Negative Cases; thoroughly recover assets resulting from corruption. Continue to promote and create more obvious changes in detecting and handling corruption at local and grassroots levels; strictly handle cases of harassment, extortion, and causing trouble for people and businesses.

2.4. Strengthen management, prevent loss and waste in the management and use of the state budget, management of land, resources, minerals, capital, state assets in enterprises; public investment, public services, etc. Urgently review, amend, supplement, and perfect the system of technical standards, norms, construction unit prices and other fields in accordance with reality; innovate the organization and management system, enhance the application of science and technology, administrative reform, promote the socialization of some types of public services, and save the state budget. Strengthen the prevention and fight against corruption and negativity in the equitization, divestment, and restructuring of state-owned enterprises; thoroughly handle existing problems and weaknesses in slow-progressing projects and inefficient enterprises.

2.5. Further promote the role of agencies, elected representatives, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, the press and the people in the fight against corruption and negativity. Perfect the monitoring mechanism of agencies, elected representatives, the Fatherland Front, mass organizations and the people in the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity.

Gradually expand the scope of anti-corruption to the non-state sector; expand and improve the effectiveness of international cooperation in anti-corruption; concretize and implement the International Convention against Corruption according to the roadmap, in accordance with the conditions and laws of Vietnam.

2.6. Continue to improve the organizational structure, improve operational efficiency, ensure facilities, means and funding suitable for the specific activities of anti-corruption and anti-negativity agencies; strengthen control over power, anti-corruption and anti-negativity within these agencies. Build a team of cadres working in anti-corruption and anti-negativity with steadfastness, integrity, honesty, courage to protect what is right, fight against what is wrong, have knowledge, experience, specialized skills, master the Party's policies and guidelines, and the State's laws, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

The Politburo requests that Party committees and organizations at all levels have the responsibility to disseminate, thoroughly understand and seriously implement this Conclusion."