General Secretary To Lam requested to review and thoroughly handle the long-standing problems of important national projects, key projects, and low-efficiency projects that cause great loss and waste.

On October 30, in Hanoi, General Secretary To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Wastefulness and Negativity, chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Wastefulness and Negativity (Steering Committee) to discuss and give opinions on the situation and results of handling corruption and negativity cases and incidents since the 26th Session to date and the policy for handling a number of cases and incidents under the monitoring and direction of the Steering Committee.

At the meeting, the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee announced that on October 29, 2024, the Politburo issued Regulation No. 191-QD/TW on the functions, tasks, powers, working regime, and working relations of the Steering Committee (replacing Regulation No. 32-QD/TW, dated September 16, 2021) and Decision No. 192-QD/TW on strengthening the Central Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity, which added to the Steering Committee the task of preventing and combating waste, with the focus of preventing and combating waste being in the management and use of public finance and public assets.

Many positive changes

Since the 26th Session of the Steering Committee (August 14, 2024) up to now, the authorities have made many efforts, tried, closely coordinated, smoothly, strictly implemented the conclusions of the Session, the Meeting of the Steering Committee, the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee; the progress of inspection, examination, audit, investigation, and handling of cases and incidents has basically been completed according to the Steering Committee's Plan, with some exceeding the set requirements.

The work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity continues to be implemented strongly, resolutely, persistently, continuously, without rest, without forbidden areas, without exceptions; putting the interests of the nation, people, and Party above all; best serving the task of socio-economic development.

The Central Inspection Commission has focused on inspecting and directing inspections of party organizations and party members related to the cases at Phuc Son Group and Thuan An Group; completed inspections related to AIC Company; through inspections, it has handled and recommended handling 247 party organizations and 441 party members, and transferred 26 cases to the investigation agency for handling according to its authority. The Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Inspection Commission have disciplined 6 senior officials under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat.

Prosecution agencies nationwide have prosecuted and investigated 734 cases/1,681 defendants, prosecuted 591 cases/1,479 defendants, and tried 1,002 cases/2,703 defendants at first instance for economic and official corruption crimes.

Through the inspection, it was recommended to handle the responsibility of many violating groups and individuals, and transfer 8 cases with signs of crime to the investigation agency.

Since the 26th Session, localities have initiated 656 new cases/1,367 defendants for corruption, economic and position crimes, including 169 cases/347 defendants for corruption crimes, bringing the total number of newly initiated corruption cases in localities from the beginning of 2024 to now to 613 cases/1,350 defendants.

Concluding the meeting, General Secretary To Lam commended the efforts of the agencies in implementing the tasks of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity; and thanked the Steering Committee and the agencies for their close coordination over the past time.

General Secretary To Lam emphasized that in recent times, the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity has continued to be promoted, in-depth, closely following reality, and relentless, regardless of the field.

Many cases were brought to trial as planned with very strict but also very humane sentences, which were highly appreciated and agreed upon by the people.

The sense of responsibility and efforts of agencies in implementing tasks and overcoming difficulties continue to be enhanced. The more we work, the more we see the practical problems clearly, the more we meet the requirements, and there are clear changes. The work of recovering assets has achieved many results.

The work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity serves socio-economic development. The trust, consensus and support of cadres, party members and people for the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity continue to be strengthened. Preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity from the grassroots, from the party cell and each party member.

The timely addition of functions and tasks of the Steering Committee is assessed by cadres, party members and people as very correct and accurate, and many changes are expected in the coming time.

General Secretary To Lam pointed out that, in addition to the achieved results, there are still some limitations in the work of appraisal and asset valuation; there is still a situation of avoiding direct conclusions on the content of the referendum.

Judicial assistance, arrest and extradition of fugitives abroad are still difficult. Asset recovery, although increased compared to last year, still has a large backlog of recovered assets. Corruption, waste and negativity are still complicated.

Building an anti-waste culture throughout society

Regarding a number of tasks in the coming time, the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee requires Party committees, Party organizations, and functional agencies to continue to further promote the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity; to focus on directing the promotion of the work of preventing and combating waste; to link the prevention and combating of corruption and negativity with the prevention and combating of waste; to determine that the prevention and combating of waste has an equivalent position to the prevention and combating of corruption and negativity.

General Secretary To Lam pointed out the need to study and give drastic direction to immediately implement key and breakthrough work in preventing and combating waste, creating a new momentum and strong changes in the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity.

Determining that preventing and combating waste has an equivalent position to preventing and combating corruption and negativity. This is a very big problem, with a very wide scope, and the damage is much greater than corruption and negativity.

Overall, we must persistently and synchronously implement solutions from low to high to practice thrift and combat waste. Build a culture and combat waste throughout society, making it become ethical and social standards, included in the internal regulations of each agency, village and hamlet conventions, regulations in Party and State documents, and handle violations from administrative to high levels, especially criminal.

Select key content and breakthrough solutions to focus on creating a widespread impression throughout society.

“Some contents need to be studied and implemented soon, such as: Urgently promulgating the Steering Committee's Guidelines on contents that need to focus on leading and directing the work of preventing and combating waste, in which it is necessary to clearly identify and indicate acts of waste, responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, agencies, organizations, cadres, Party members, especially leaders in the work of preventing and combating waste,” the General Secretary noted.

The General Secretary requested that it is necessary to review, amend and supplement Party regulations and State laws on waste prevention and control to ensure consistency and unity; immediately amend and supplement regulations on technical and economic standards and norms that are no longer suitable to the country's development practices; direct the review and strict handling of major waste cases that are of public concern in the spirit of handling one case to alert the entire region and field, clearly defining the responsibility for handling related organizations and individuals.

“There must be an address responsible, because this is the State’s property, the people’s money. In the immediate future, we must review and thoroughly handle the long-standing problems of important national projects, key projects, and low-efficiency projects that cause great loss and waste,” said the General Secretary.

The General Secretary emphasized that there should be a form of reward and recognition for collectives and individuals with achievements in practicing thrift, fighting waste or having solutions that benefit the State.

The General Secretary stated that the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity is associated with accelerating breakthroughs and socio-economic development, completing the goals set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; continuing to direct, inspect, audit and audit areas with high risks and public opinion on corruption, waste and negativity, promptly resolving cases of public concern and public concern, but minimizing impacts on the normal operations of agencies and enterprises.

The amended laws need to be effectively implemented to remove bottlenecks, contribute to unblocking resources, circulating assets, avoiding loss and waste, promoting economic and social development; and improving the effectiveness of asset recovery in cases and incidents.

The work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity must be carried out effectively with the highest goal of not allowing embezzlement and corruption to participate in Party committees at all levels.

Corruption cases and incidents that the public is concerned about must be investigated and handled quickly; cases of officials and party members showing signs of violations in cases and incidents related to personnel work at Party Congresses at all levels must be urgently clarified with a serious, cautious, and objective spirit, determined not to let degraded, corrupt, negative, and wasteful officials enter the new term.

The General Secretary proposed building a culture of integrity, no corruption, waste, or negativity among cadres, party members, and people, creating a strong spread in society.

“We must make the practice of integrity, avoiding corruption, waste, and negativity a “voluntary” and “self-conscious” act like “daily food, water, and clothing. We must encourage cadres, party members, and the people to increase their practice of thrift, creating the habit of valuing working time, money, state assets, and the people’s efforts,” the General Secretary emphasized.

The General Secretary requested to continue to create strong changes in the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity at the local and grassroots levels in accordance with the motto of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity from the grassroots level and from the Party cells; amend and supplement the functions and tasks of the Steering Committee for preventing and combating corruption and negativity at the provincial level to create synchronization and unity from the central to local levels.

General Secretary To Lam noted that it is necessary to strengthen technology development, digital transformation, administrative reform, effectively handle harassment and inconvenience for people and businesses, "petty corruption", overcome the disease of "fear of responsibility", shirking, avoiding, fear of mistakes, not daring to do; not to take advantage of anti-corruption, waste, and negativity to hinder development activities or profiteering./