Hanoi, the umpteenth campaign against corrupt party members
For some time now, the credibility of the government and the fiscal economy have been smeared by accusations of misappropriation; the country wants to clean up its act and gain credibility to join the WTO.
Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Vietnamese government has declared war on corruption for the umpteenth time, saying it intends to put a stop to the growth of the phenomenon involving rich businessmen and high-ranking party officials. The latest scandal featured the deputy commerce minister Mai Van Dau and his son Mai Thanh Hai, both arrested on charges of involvement in a multi-million-dollar corruption scam.
The country wants to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the end of next year. To reach this goal, it plans to better its credentials in the economic sector and halt bribes.
The police force arrested the deputy minister, his son and another 12 suspects. They are accused of pocketing one million dollars in return for guaranteeing some textile industries a chunk of the export market to the United States.
Analysts say the move shows a clearer stand of Hanoi in tackling corruption in Vietnam. In recent years, the government declared several times that it wanted to arrest the flourishing corruption system in Vietnam, now considered "an integral part of the trade and economy sector". With the help of Sweden, the government is currently carrying out a nationwide inquiry to assess just how deeply the graft culture is entrenched into the country. Results are expected within the next year. At the same time, the government will introduce an anti-corruption law.
The leadership of Vietnam's Communist Party fears the accusations could threaten political stability in the country. For some time now, the credibility of the government, the party and several leading state-owned companies have been smeared with accusations of misappropriation.
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25/10/2004
