Vietnam arrests officials over loss of up to 37 million dollars
HANOI - Vietnamese police have arrested eight government officials accused of mismanaging a project on computerizing government administration and losing up to 37 million dollars, state-controlled media reported Friday. The arrest was the latest in a series of corruption and mismanagement scandals in communist Vietnam, where the government is attempting to fight its image as a graft-ridden bureaucracy.
Police arrested Vu Dinh Thuan, former vice chairman of the Government Office and manager of the computerization project, Thursday on charges of abusing power and deliberately committing wrongdoings, the Nhan Dan newspaper said.
Also arrested were two other officials of the Government Office, two officials of the Ministry of Justice and three officials of the Ministry of Culture for the same charges, the newspaper said.
A police source confirmed the arrests by telephone but declined to comment further.
Thuan was assigned as the manager of the first phase of a project on computerizing the state administrative management from 2001 to 2005, one of Vietnam's most important projects on applying information technology in state administration throughout provinces and ministries.
However, after four years, the project was deemed inefficient and Thuan was replaced in May 2006, Nhan Dan said.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung decided in April to halt the project, which was aimed at building a national integrated database and promoting state administrative reform.
Local media said the amount of money spent on the project exceeded 3,000 billion dong (187 million dollars).
Thuan and the others arrested are accused of wasting 600 billion dong (37 million dollars) on the project, according to Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper.
Corruption and waste is rampant in Vietnam as the country in transition from a command economy to free-market reforms has been showered with investment money.
The Communist Party itself listed corruption and mismanagement as serious threats to its continued rule during last year's party congress.
Dung, installed by the party last year, has promoted anti-graft campaigns as one of his signature issues.
Deutsche Presse Agentur - September 14, 2007.
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