Why do we have to wait for a 'lucky draw' to verify asset declaration?

After Hanoi, recently in Da Nang, the General Department of Taxation has applied a random draw to verify the honesty of officials' asset declarations in order to prevent, detect and handle corruption.

The drawing of lots to verify assets is carried out in accordance with Decree 130 of the Government on controlling assets and income of people holding positions and powers in agencies, organizations and units.

Specifically, Decree 130 stipulates the approval and implementation of the annual asset and income verification plan for at least 20% of the agencies, organizations and units under the control of the province or city. The persons to be verified are randomly and publicly selected by drawing lots or using computer software. The number of persons selected for random verification must ensure that at least 10% of the persons required to make annual declarations at each agency, organization or unit, including at least 1 person who is the head or deputy head of the agency, organization or unit.

Avoid missing leaders who have to verify assets

According to Mr. Le Viet Truong - former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security, asset declaration is one of the meaningful measures to prevent corruption and control assets and income of officials and civil servants, especially those holding positions and powers in agencies, organizations and units.

Accordingly, the person with the obligation must declare clearly, honestly, completely, and accurately the types of assets, income, changes in assets, the origin of assets, and annual income increase. The competent authority for asset control will check and clarify the declared content, as well as handle acts of dishonest declaration and explanation.

However, according to Mr. Le Viet Truong, all officials and civil servants have the obligation to declare their assets and need to be regularly monitored, not relying on "luck". Furthermore, the drawing of lots will invisibly create inequality within the ranks of officials and civil servants. Sometimes, key officials do not have to verify their assets, while a newly recruited official or civil servant under their authority is subject to verification.

“All subjects subject to declaration must be verified, conducted publicly and transparently. When specialized agencies see signs of abnormalities, they must request explanations and clear conclusions,” said Mr. Le Viet Truong.

Mr. Le Viet Truong. Photo: Quochoi.vn

Citing the reality that in recent years, asset declaration and verification of asset declarations are still considered formalities when there are no or very few unusual or dishonest cases that require re-verification, the former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee asked why there is nothing in asset declarations, but when corruption is discovered, where is the money and foreign currency that is so much? Why are officials' salaries still modest, but the assets of their dependents, such as wives, husbands, and children, amount to tens and hundreds of billions of dong, not to mention land, houses, real estate, and other assets?

“Now, if we look at all the financial declarations of officials, they seem very modest, but why do they live in such big houses? Asset declarations have always been a formality, and we know what officials declare, because we cannot manage each person's income from their personal accounts, and their cash spending is still very large.”

Mr. Le Viet Truong stated his opinion and cited evidence that the asset declarations of officials showed nothing unusual, but their children, even their young grandchildren, had valuable assets in their names. This shows that there were dishonest declarations, asset dispersal, as well as flattery, leniency, and covering up for each other to have a good profile. Therefore, if the assets and incomes of officials and civil servants cannot be controlled, those declarations will still be just… formalities.

Asset declaration has loopholes

National Assembly delegate Nguyen Tao (Lam Dong delegation) also said that using computer software to randomly select officials to verify assets and income can help limit human intervention and ensure objectivity. The question is which computer software will be applied based on digitalization to ensure transparency, publicity and clarity. The number of people selected for random verification to ensure at least 10% of the people required to declare at each agency, organization and unit also needs to be carefully evaluated to avoid the situation where the number of officials and civil servants in leadership positions is too small. Meanwhile, only those with positions and powers have the "conditions" for corruption.

According to the Lam Dong delegation, the process of randomly drawing a list of officials must be strict, clear, public, and transparent. The verification results must be made public at the agencies, organizations, and units where officials and civil servants regularly work so that everyone knows. At the same time, sanctions for dishonest declaration of assets and income must be increased to contribute more effectively to the fight against corruption and negativity.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Bao.

Emphasizing that controlling assets and income is the core of preventing, detecting and handling corruption, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Bao (Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics), there are currently loopholes in asset and income declaration.

According to regulations, people with the obligation to declare only the assets of their spouses and minor children, so in reality, many people circumvent the law by transferring corrupt assets to relatives, adult children, abroad, or even to the assets of undeclared subjects. Therefore, the recovery of corrupt assets in recent times has encountered many difficulties and has been ineffective.

“Obviously, there are loopholes at this stage for corrupt officials to circumvent the law,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Bao raised the issue, and at the same time proposed that along with verifying the assets and income of officials and civil servants, it is necessary to build a mechanism to control the assets and income of officials in power and their relatives, including parents and relatives, to avoid asset dissipation.