Officials dismissed from health minister, mayor posts

Nguyễn Thanh Long. — VNA/VNS Photo 

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday approved resolutions on the dismissal of Nguyễn Thanh Long from his positions as deputy of the 15th legislature and as Health Minister over his wrongdoings in a COVID-19 test kit scam.

Earlier, the NA heard a report by Nguyễn Thị Thanh, head of the NA Standing Committee’s Commission for Deputy Affairs, on the dismissal of Long from his post as a deputy of the Vĩnh Long Province’s NA delegation; and a report by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on the removal of him from the position as the Health Minister in the 2021-2026 term.

Through the voting, 473 deputies, or 94.79 per cent, agreed with the dismissal of Long from the post as 15th NA deputy, and six disagreed.

Meanwhile, 471 deputies, equal to 94.39 per cent of the total, favoured the removal of Long from the post of the Health Minister, and eight disagreed.

A day earlier, Long was expelled from the Party, together with Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Chu Ngọc Anh, a former Minister of Science and Technology.

The two officials were found to violate the Party and the State’s regulations, causing severe consequences and losses to the State budget, undermining the COVID-19 fight, causing social discontent and affecting the reputation of the Party, the health ministry and the science and technology ministry.

The same day, at the extraordinary meeting of the Hà Nội People’s Council, its members agreed to dismiss Chu Ngọc Anh from the position as Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee for the 2021-2026 term. — VNS