Deputy foreign minister expelled from Party over pandemic flight scandal

The Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in charge of personnel affairs at the Party, announced the decision at a meeting chaired by Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on Tuesday.

According to the Secretariat, Linh, assistant to Vietnam’s Standing Deputy PM and former foreign minister Pham Binh Minh, had abused his position, violated working regulations and principles, as well as the Party’s regulations and the state’s laws on organizing flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

To Anh Dung, it said, had lacked responsibility, and violated the Party and state’s regulations on organizing those flights. He took bribes in the organization and was arrested in April for further investigation.

Both are considered to have committed violations that cause “very serious consequences,” leading to public upset and affecting the Party image.

Vietnam organized around 800 repatriation flights and brought back over 200,000 citizens from over 60 countries and territories after the pandemic struck.

Many people had to buy very expensive tickets and undergo troublesome procedures to get a flight home.

Several officials have since been arrested on accusations of taking and giving bribes, including officials at the foreign ministry, the public security ministry, the Government Office, and businesspeople.

Vietnam’s Communist Party has four modes of punishment for misconduct by official members: reprimand, warning, demotion and expulsion. The government would impose other punishments later.