Deputy Director of Department C03 pointed out 5 signs to identify violations related to waste

On the morning of May 16, in Vinh City, the Central Public Security Party Committee coordinated with Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Communist Magazine and National Political Publishing House Truth to organize a National Scientific Conference: "Building a culture of thrift and fighting waste in the new era of development".

Over 1,249 projects have signs and risks of causing waste.

Accordingly, through the work of grasping the situation of the Economic Police force, by the end of 2024, the whole country has more than 1,249 projects being implemented with signs and risks of wasting the State budget.

Of which, the construction sector has 186 projects; the transport sector has 53 projects; the agriculture, land and housing sector has 377 projects; the industry sector has 154 projects; the trade and service sector has 67 projects; the culture, health and education sector has 64 projects; the energy sector has 33 projects; the tourism sector has 55 projects; and other sectors have 260 projects.

Colonel Nguyen Huu Son said: From 2020 to present, the Economic Police force has detected and prosecuted 426 cases/1,935 defendants for crimes related to waste; causing losses and damage to State assets worth tens of thousands of billions of VND, in 2024 alone, 81 cases/339 defendants were prosecuted. Among them, there are many complicated and especially serious cases under the supervision and direction of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Waste and Negativity nationwide.

From the practical work of grasping the situation and detecting, investigating and handling cases related to waste in the past, Colonel Nguyen Huu Son said: The Economic Police force identifies violations and crimes related to waste through a number of groups of behaviors including:

Waste in financial and budget management, with violations such as: Giving and receiving bribes; taking advantage of positions and powers while performing official duties; embezzlement of assets... to establish, appraise, approve, allocate and assign budgets not in accordance with procedures, time, exceeding norms, standards and regimes; violations in bidding and purchasing public assets not in accordance with regulations. Typically, in the Dong Nai General Hospital Construction Investment Project, the subjects "colluded" to allow AIC Company to win 16 medical equipment supply packages, causing losses to the State budget of over 152 billion VND.

Tax evasion or delay in tax and fee obligations by businesses, organizations and individuals has greatly affected the country's socio-economic development resources. As of January 2025, the whole country had nearly VND 200,000 billion in tax debt. A typical example is the case at Hai Ha Waterway Transport Company Limited (Hai Ha Petro), taking advantage of being assigned by the State to manage the petroleum price stabilization fund, the subjects delayed in paying the fund, used it for other purposes that could not be repaid, causing a loss and waste of over VND 317 billion of the State budget.

Waste in investment and construction, with the main violations and crimes being: Giving; receiving bribes; brokering bribes; creating fake records; violating regulations on management and use of State assets in construction investment... occurring at all stages from investment policy decisions, survey, design, compensation, site clearance to construction, acceptance, final settlement, leading to wrong investment decisions, prolonging capital increase, low efficiency or no efficiency, benefiting some interest groups, causing waste, large capital loss, serious damage to the State budget. Typically: The Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway project with a total investment of nearly 35,000 billion VND, but immediately after being put into use, it was damaged, subsided, requiring additional repair costs of thousands of billions of VND; The "Vicem Operation and Trade Center" building project was invested with 1,245 billion VND (abandoned since 2015 until now after completing the rough construction)...

Waste in the management of resources, minerals, and land, with the main violations and crimes being: “Violation of regulations on research, exploration, exploitation, processing, and use of resources in violation of regulations; smuggling of rare minerals.

Typical example: The case of Hung Thinh Titan Company, Binh Thuan province, exploiting and selling unprocessed titanium ore, causing especially large losses and waste of mineral resources and tax money for the State budget.

Violations in granting construction permits for projects and investment projects but not implementing them or implementing them not on schedule have led to land being left fallow; ineffective use of public land, turning public land into private land, causing especially large losses and waste with acts such as: Violating regulations on compensation, support, and resettlement when the State reclaims land; violating regulations on management and use of State assets... Typically: Thinh Liet New Urban Area Project, Hoang Mai, scale 351,618m2, total investment 4,000 billion VND, implemented in 2004 but to date is still a fallow land.

Waste of time, opportunities, and investment capital of enterprises and people due to the lack of responsibility of officials and civil servants in receiving and handling requests and procedures of people and businesses. The main behavior is taking advantage of positions and powers to make it difficult for enterprises and people to grant licenses and approve administrative procedures, investment and business procedures... thereby hindering opportunities for socio-economic development.

4 proposals to improve work quality and efficiencyprevent waste

According to Colonel Nguyen Huu Son, the practical work of preventing, detecting and combating violations and crimes related to waste in recent years by sectors and levels, including the police force, has achieved some positive results such as: The legal framework related to the practice of thrift and anti-waste has been gradually improved, the quality has been improved, initially meeting practical requirements.

The management of State budget revenue and expenditure is more strict, economical and effective. The management, exploitation and use of land, resources and minerals are enhanced, gradually preventing and overcoming loss and waste.

Changing the awareness and actions of cadres and civil servants about the responsibility of practicing thrift and fighting waste.

The results of streamlining the apparatus, reducing staff, and reforming administrative procedures have many outstanding marks, creating an important premise for institutional reform to go into substance, accumulating more resources, clearing bottlenecks, creating momentum to promote socio-economic development... Thereby, it has contributed an important part in building a culture of thrift and fighting waste in the new era of development, the era of national growth.

To continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of this work in the coming time, Colonel Nguyen Huu Son made some recommendations and proposals:

Organize to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the current policies and regulations of the Party and State on practicing thrift and combating waste. Institutionalize and specify the roles and responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, authorities, heads of agencies, organizations and units in the work of preventing and combating waste. Fully stipulate and attach responsibility for managing related violations to heads of organizations and units to improve the responsibility and working efficiency of each individual; eliminate the "ask - give" mechanism in allocating and using State budget capital.

Ministries, sectors and localities need to focus on urgently reviewing legal regulations related to socio-economic fields that are prone to waste such as: Public investment, infrastructure construction; procurement; public asset management; science and technology projects and programs; education... to amend, supplement and overcome loopholes and shortcomings, contributing to creating a complete and synchronous legal basis for monitoring, inspection, detection, strong handling and high deterrence against wasteful acts.

Proactively implement self-prevention measures, promptly prevent acts of corruption, waste, and negativity occurring in agencies and units... At the same time, rectify and strengthen inspection, examination, and thematic supervision at all levels in areas prone to waste. In case of detecting an incident, the subjects involved in the violation or crime need to promptly inform and exchange with the functional units of the Ministry of Public Security to have coordinated measures to resolve it in accordance with the provisions of law.

On the side of the Ministry of Public Security, the Public Security of units and localities will continue to synchronously deploy working measures on the basis of closely following the socio-economic development policies and guidelines of the Party and the State to proactively forecast and assess the situation, detect emerging issues in each sector, each field, each level; point out new methods and tricks of crime as well as loopholes and shortcomings in regulations, rules, management and operation work to advise, propose, recommend correction, overcome and coordinate with ministries, branches, local authorities to strengthen management, supervision, inspection, examination and audit; not to let small violations accumulate into major violations. Timely detect wasteful acts and cases for investigation and clarification, with the motto of "handling one case to warn the whole region, the whole field", thoroughly recovering lost and wasteful assets for the State.