Those nearing retirement are not allowed to sign appointments or approve projects.

Following the questioning session on the "last train" and "twilight of the term" reflecting the reality of corruption, National Assembly Deputy Le Nhu Tien, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Culture, Education, Youth, and Children, said he had received hundreds of "very special" messages.

Representative Le Nhu Tien (Quang Tri) speaks in the assembly hall. Photo: H. Long.

Mr. Tien said: "After I raised my questions, many voters, especially those in Quang Tri province, sent me very special messages. For example, among hundreds of messages, Mr. Vu Quoc Hung, former Deputy Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee, messaged me saying: 'Your questions were concise, insightful, and intelligent. Many voters asked me to convey their trust and hope to you.' Then, a recently retired Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs also sent a short message: 'Wishing you: A star delegate…'"

I am also very proud to have the poet and calligrapher Hoang Trung from Quang Tri ancient citadel send me a message: “All voters in Quang Tri are very satisfied and proud to have elected National Assembly Deputy Le Nhu Tien. He has demonstrated his responsibility to the people through his insightful questioning before the National Assembly. The people of Quang Tri are very proud of him.”

Besides the congratulatory messages, did he receive any threatening messages?

I didn't receive any messages like that. However, after I questioned it, someone called me and said, "I'm very worried about you. Are you worried about anything? Do you need protection?" I said no, because I was speaking on behalf of the voters, and behind me were the voters and the people of the whole country, so I certainly wasn't worried about anything.

Could it be that the warnings about the "last train" or "twilight of the term" that he mentioned have existed for many terms now?

Indeed, in recent times, at the end of each term, the most sensitive period always sees the phenomenon of "last-minute deals." People try to promote and appoint as many close associates and cronies as possible for personal gain. Furthermore, at the end of their term, they may also sign very large projects and contracts, resulting in significant economic benefits. After these signatures, their successors will have to bear the consequences.

In fact, it has recently been revealed in several places that provincial chairmen, before retiring, signed contracts worth hundreds of billions of dong. The entire team subsequently received their share because those projects were very detrimental to the socio-economic development of the locality. Ultimately, that is taxpayers' money, so there needs to be specific, transparent regulations so that citizens and voters can monitor the process.

So, in your opinion, what specific regulations are needed to prevent this situation?

I propose that the Government Inspectorate issue regulations stating that appointments and promotions of officials should not be signed for three or six months before retirement. Furthermore, they should not be allowed to sign large-scale projects using state budget funds, such as contracts worth 10 billion VND or 100 billion VND or more. Signing such contracts would be very harmful and would involve kickbacks, bribes, or other illicit activities…

Specific regulations are absolutely necessary to curb the acceleration of corruption, both in frequency and intensity, during the "twilight of a term," the "last-minute looting" before leaving office. And if regulations already exist, they must be publicly announced so that everyone is aware and this situation can be prevented.

However, there have been cases where, despite causing harm, individuals have remained unpunished after retirement?

I propose that there should be no limits on the severity of corruption, embezzlement, and waste. Even after retirement, those responsible should still be held accountable and face retroactive penalties, not a "safe landing." I have also warned that officials, before retirement, for the sake of security, transfer assets such as houses, land, cars, and other valuables to family members. This is something we can completely control through asset declarations, for both current officials and their family members.

There's no reason why a child barely over 20 years old should possess such enormous wealth. Many plots of land, villas, and luxury cars like that must be verifiable; if not, then it's ill-gotten wealth. The path of ill-gotten wealth is currently very convoluted, but I believe that if the authorities investigate, they will still be able to uncover the intricacies of these illicit asset acquisitions.

Thank you, sir!

According to tienphong.vn