Ha Noi (VNA) - Viet Nam's resolve to combat corruption was firmly stated as the country's government raised the issue with foreign aid donors at the ongoing Consultative Group (CG)'s mid-term meeting in Quang Ninh province.
The donors were told of a number of measures that are to be introduced by the administration, including the establishment of a judicial committee to monitor anti-corruption activities and to facilitate the increased involvement of the mass media and social organisations into its work.
The new committee is to follow on from the work of the already established national steering committee for corruption prevention and combat, which is headed by the Prime Minister and allows for the execution of the Anti-corruption Law down at provincial level nationwide.
At the CG's morning discussions on June 1, the Government Inspector handed out to donors a report relaying some of the successes in the fight against the scourge. Highlighted cases being brought to trial included scandals at the Ministry of Trade, the Project Management Unit 18, and the Viet Nam Petroleum Corporation.
"Strict punishments were given to deputy ministerial-level officials and National Assembly deputies who were found to be corrupt," Nguyen Van Thanh, Head of the Inspection Research Institute, said at the CG's morning session.
Results of a May dialogue between Vietnamese anti-corruption agrencies and donors were also reported to the CG meeting.
On the sidelines of the talks, the World Bank's Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, James Adams, said, "We were very comfortable with the way the Vietnamese government is handling these discussions." He added that he strongly felt the government's firm stance on stamping out corruption.
However, the WB representative and other donors pointed to the challenges that Viet Nam will encounter in the fight, particularly the requirement for legal reforms to be undertaken and ultimately build a state governed by laws.
Using the same tone, a representative from the United Nations also warned that it would not be possible to sweep corruption from Viet Nam unless national administrative reforms were completed.-Enditem
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