Former Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh was reprimanded.

On November 27, the Central Party Secretariat disciplined Mr. Bui Quang Vinh - former Secretary of the Party Committee, former Minister of Planning and Investment.

The above decision was made at a meeting chaired by General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong to consider the proposal of the Central Inspection Committee to discipline Mr. Bui Quang Vinh, because the former Minister of Planning was involved in the responsibility for violations in the project of MobiFone Telecommunications Corporation buying 95% of shares of Global Audiovisual Joint Stock Company (AVG).

The Secretariat found that during his time holding the above positions, Mr. Bui Quang Vinh was responsible as the leader and lacked responsibility when signing Official Dispatch No. 721 dated November 24, 2015 of the Ministry of Planning and Investment requesting the Prime Minister to approve the project investment policy.

After receiving unusual information about the project, Mr. Vinh sent a document requesting to stop the project, but at that time the Ministry of Information and Communications had decided to approve and implement it.

Mr. Bui Quang Vinh has seriously reviewed, clearly recognized his mistakes and shortcomings and accepted the disciplinary action.

Previously, according to the conclusion of the Government Inspectorate on violations by relevant ministries and branches in the MobiFone project to buy 95% of AVG shares, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (when Mr. Vinh was Minister) with the role and task of chairing the appraisal, preparing the appraisal report, submitting to the Prime Minister for decision on investment policy according to the provisions of the Law, but did not guide the Ministry of Information and Communications and MobiFone to implement the investment project according to regulations; based on the proposal of the Government Office to send a document to the Prime Minister requesting approval of the project investment policy, which is not in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Law.

After MobiFone signed a contract to transfer 95% of AVG shares and paid 95% of the contract value, on January 22, 2016, the Ministry of Planning and Investment issued a document clearly stating the direct impact with many risks from purchasing 95% of AVG shares while MobiFone was equitizing and "requested to stop implementing the project".

"The opinions of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in the two above documents are inconsistent; the content in the latter document was not provided in a timely manner. The responsibility lies with relevant officials and civil servants of the Ministry of Planning and Investment," the inspection conclusion stated.

Mr. Bui Quang Vinh was born in 1953, from Hanoi; member of the Party Central Committee, 10th and 11th terms; delegate of the 13th National Assembly.

From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Vinh was Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, and then held the position of Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee (January 2006 to March 2010). At the first session of the 13th National Assembly (August 2011), he was approved by the National Assembly as Minister of Planning and Investment and retired from this position from April 2016. Mr. Vinh is currently a member of the Prime Minister's economic advisory group.