Head of central economic commission removed from Politburo

The committee also approved Anh’s request to stop serving as a member of the Party’s Central Committee’s 13th tenure, according to a statement from the Party Central Committee Office following a meeting on Wednesday.

Anh is a high-ranking official who has been trained and trusted in several important positions, the committee said, adding he made many efforts while serving as the minister of industry and trade in 2016-2021 to help the ministry achieve important accomplishments.

But Anh also holds political responsibility for many violations at the ministry, which have resulted in its officials being punished, some with criminal prosecution, it said.

He asked to stop serving all positions and retire as he’s aware of his responsibility to the Party and the people, it said.

The Party’s Central Inspection Committee in late December concluded that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the 2016-2021 term was negligent in management, severely violated democratic centralism principles, as well as other Party and state regulations.

The violations involved the processes of consulting and issuing policies for power development, fuel trade and supply, price management and medical equipment bidding.

These violations are deemed to have caused severe consequences that are difficult to resolve, harboring great risks to the property and capital of the state, investors and consumers. They have also caused a great waste of resources, the committee said.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and former head of the government office Mai Tien Dung were rebuked by the Politburo for violations at the trade ministry last Saturday.

Deputy industry minister Do Thang Hai and former deputy minister Hoang Quoc Vuong were both arrested and expelled from the Party.

Anh, born in 1964, holds a PhD in economics and bachelor’s degree in foreign relations.

He served as the trade minister position for five years from April 2016. In February 2021 he was appointed by the Politburo, the Party’s decision-making body, to be head of the Party’s Central Economic Commission, an advisory body.