General Secretary: Dealing with corruption has no privileges or exceptions

On May 5, speaking at the National Conference on anti-corruption work, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Head of the Central Steering Committee on anti-corruption emphasized: "The fight against anti-corruption is a fight within each agency, organization, and unit; a fight within each individual."

Anti-corruption must be visible in practice:

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and delegates attending the Conference during a break. Photo: H. Phuc

“Once corruption occurs, it must be dealt with resolutely, dealt with seriously, in accordance with the law, with no forbidden zones. We must strictly adhere to equality before the law, with no privileges, no exceptions.

On the one hand, we need to severely punish corrupt elements, but on the other hand, we need to have a lenient policy towards those who have committed corruption but have proactively reported and overcome the consequences..." - The General Secretary pointed out.

According to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the work of preventing, detecting and handling corruption has seen positive changes; the number of corruption cases detected and handled has increased compared to before. Promoting the role of elected bodies, press agencies and the people in anti-corruption work has received more attention.

However, it must be frankly admitted that the work of preventing, detecting and handling corruption in recent times still has many limitations compared to the requirements and expectations of the people. Corruption is still a challenge and one of the most pressing issues of society today.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong directed that it is necessary to combine anti-corruption work with studying and following Ho Chi Minh's moral example and implementing the Resolution of the 11th Central Committee on Party building. Political determination is a commitment to declare war on corruption, which must be demonstrated through concrete actions and made public so that the people know, support and supervise.

“On the one hand, we must set an example ourselves, strictly comply with regulations on integrity and discipline, practice thrift, avoid extravagance, waste, privileges, voluntarily comply with Party regulations and State laws, and maintain close relations with the masses. On the other hand, we must be responsible for demonstrating to society and the public a clear, resolute attitude against corruption and negativity, not only through words, on paper, and general slogans, but also through very specific, practical, effective actions that can be seen in reality,” the General Secretary emphasized.

According to the report, from 2009 to 2013 and the first 6 months of this year, there were 2,041 cases/5,120 defendants prosecuted for corruption crimes. In particular, from 2012 onwards, the number of corruption cases has shown an increasing trend, mainly crimes of embezzlement of property, bribery, abuse of power and position to appropriate property.

"Most of the criminals are people with positions, authority, high status in society, have many relationships, and were even colleagues with the prosecutors" - Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Nguyen Son said.

Although the amount of money lost and misappropriated in corruption-related cases amounts to thousands of billions of VND, the effectiveness of asset recovery is very low. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures is also limited. Government Inspector General Huynh Phong Tranh said that solutions to declare assets, income, pay salaries through accounts, and return gifts are not very effective.

Through verification in the past, there were 3 cases of dishonest declarations, 58 cases were disciplined due to late declarations and reporting of declaration results. Meanwhile, according to the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, the capacity and quality of a number of cadres working on anti-corruption are still limited, there is corruption within these agencies.

Must control power

According to the General Secretary, it is necessary to identify anti-corruption as a key task, one of the criteria for evaluating cadres and party members, and preparing personnel for Party congresses at all levels. In addition, it is necessary to "establish a truly effective and efficient mechanism for monitoring and controlling power, avoiding having too much power, being concentrated and not being supervised, leading to bureaucracy, abuse of power, and making serious mistakes" - the General Secretary emphasized.

Reporting on anti-corruption work, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh - Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Committee twice emphasized that "corruption is still one of the most pressing issues in society today".

According to him, in recent years and in 2013, corruption has continued to develop in a complicated manner, the scope of corruption has become increasingly extensive, causing very serious consequences, and causing the loss of a large amount of state assets. Corruption with vested interests has emerged in a number of areas, and corruption with foreign elements has tended to increase. Corruption “is still a potential risk factor for political and social instability”.

It is necessary to speed up the handling of serious and complicated corruption cases, focusing on handling collective and organized corruption cases.

At the conference, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi proposed to strictly handle leaders and high-ranking officials who commit corruption. "It is necessary to direct strict handling of those who commit corruption crimes regardless of their position or rank; the exemplary role of officials and party members, especially high-ranking officials in the political system, must be given top priority" - Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen The Thao suggested. Mr. Thao also said that "the exemplary role of superiors is stronger than millions of laws".

According to the Dak Lak Provincial Delegate, “Corruption must be condemned by public opinion and considered a crime of treason, because it threatens the survival of the regime; at the same time, corrupt behavior and disciplinary action must be recorded in the personal history of their children and grandchildren.”

Government Inspector General Huynh Phong Tranh proposed measures to reward and protect those who report corruption. “There should be a form of awarding medals of bravery to those who have achievements in fighting corruption,” Mr. Tranh said.

According to Baotienphong