Party commission announces violations in Mobifone’s AVG purchase

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission Tran Cam Tu (Source: VNA)

During the commission’s 26th session chaired by its head Tran Cam Tu in Hanoi from May 28-30, the commission concluded that the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has committed serious violations in the case. It has yet implemented seriously the principles of Party activities and organization, violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; showed a lack of responsibility, and relaxed its leadership, steering, inspection and monitoring, which allowed the MIC and MobiFone Telecommunication Corporation to seriously infringe upon legal regulations on assessing, approving and conducting the project, resulting in huge losses to the State budget. The committee has also yet promptly and seriously directed the stringent implementation of the conclusion by the Government Inspectorate about the project. Accordingly, former Party Central Committee member, and former Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and former Minister of the MIC Nguyen Bac Son must hold main responsibility for the violations and shortcomings committed by the committee during the 2011-2016 tenure. He violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations, and showed signs of imposition and a lack of democracy in leadership and steering work. He directly instructed and decided many contents of the project that were against the legal regulations. He signed project-related documents that were delivered to the Prime Minister for approval and assigned his juniors to sign a number of project-related documents that were against the regulations and not included in their duty description. He made insufficient direction and inspection during the project implementation. Truong Minh Tuan, Party Central Committee member, and Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and Minister of the MIC must co-take main responsibility for the violations and shortcomings of the committee in the 2011-2016 tenure. He violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; showed a lack of responsibility and lax leadership when tasked to direct the implementation of the project; signed Decision 236/QD-BTTT dated December 21, 2015 of the MIC approving the project and a number of related documents against the regulations, including the documents that fell out of his assigned duty. As Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and Minister of the MIC since April, 2016, Son was found to take prime responsibility for the violations and shortcomings of the Party Civil Affairs Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure. Deputy Minister of the MIC Pham Hong Hai, who is member of the Party Civil Affairs Committee, was co-responsible for the committee’s violations during the 2011-2016 and 2016-2021 tenures. Hai violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; was irresponsible and relaxing in leadership, management, inspection and monitoring, thus letting MobiFone to commit serious violations in implementing the project; and directly signed a number of documents relating to the project with contents against the legal regulation. Head of the ministry’s Department of Corporate Management of the MIC Pham Dinh Trong committed a lot of serious violations in advising the ministry’s leaders to launch the project. The commission also concluded that MobiFone’s Party Committee’s Standing Board violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations, relaxed its leadership and steering, and conducted insufficient inspection and surveillance, resulting in the corporation’s serious mistakes in the project implementation. Former Secretary of the Mobifone’s Party Committee and Chairman of the Member Council Le Nam Tra was mainly responsible for submitting a decision to the ministry to approve and carry out the project, and directly signing many relevant documents against the regulation. Vice Secretary of the Party Committee, member of the Member Council and General Director Cao Duy Hai of Mobifone committed serious violations in advising the council to submit a decision to the ministry for project approval and implementation, as well as signing many related documents against the regulation. The violations of those units and people led to huge losses to the State asset, and negatively impacted the equitisation of MobiFone and the prestige of Party organisations and the MIC, causing public concern. The commission also found the responsibility of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Finance Ministry, the Government Office, the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Committee of southern Binh Duong province in the case. It asked the Party Civil Affairs Committees, the Party Committees and leaders of these unites to make criticism and look into responsibility of inpiduals and collectives involved to report to the Politburo, the Secretariat Committee and the commission. During the meeting, the commission also concluded the violations of the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). Accordingly, former Secretary of the Party Committee and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIDV Tran Bac Ha must hold main responsibility for violations of the standing board of the Party Committee for the 2010-2015, and 2015-2020 tenures. Ha violated democratic centralism principles and working regulations, procedures and regulations in approving guidelines and decisions on lending, financial warranty, investment and debt management, including ratifying a loan worth 4.7 trillion VND (208.8 million USD) to 12 companies involving in a legal case at the Vietnam Construction Bank. The commission also found Doan Anh Sang, former member of the standing board of the Party Committee and Vice Director General and Tran Luc Lang, member of the standing board of the Party Committee and Vice Director General, of BIDV, shared the same responsibility to the 4.7 trillion VND (208.8 million USD) loan. The commission said the State Bank of Vietnam took responsibility for BIDV’s violations and required the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the State Bank of Vietnam to seriously make criticism, draw lessons from these violations, and discipline relevant inpiduals and collectives, promptly review, amend, and supplement banking regulations, and strengthen inspection and supervision over credit organisations. It also concluded the result of inspecting Party discipline enforcement in the standing boards of the party committees and inspection commissions of Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Bac Lieu provinces, standing board and inspection commission of the Party Committee of Centrally-Run Businesses’ Sector. On the occasion, the commission also offered opinions on the draft amendments and supplements to the Politburo’s regulations on disciplining violated Party units. -VNA