Party committees of 2016-21 tenure at Ministries of Science, Technology and Health given warning

Former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngọc Anh (currently Chairman of Hà Nội People’s Committee) and Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long, who are to face disciplinary measures by the Party Central Committee. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Politburo has issued disciplinary warnings to the Party committees of the 2016-21 tenure at the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health over wrongdoings.

The decision was made at a meeting on Saturday of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in Hà Nội.

The Secretariat also decided to expel Phạm Công Tác, member of the Party committee at the science-technology minister and deputy science-technology minister, from the Party.

The Politburo asked the Party Central Committee to consider and decide disciplinary measures against Chu Ngọc Anh, former Secretary of the Party committee at the science-technology ministry and Minister of Science and Technology, and Nguyễn Thanh Long, Secretary of the Party committee at the health ministry and Minister of Health. They are both members of the Party Central Committee and under this body’s direct management.

Anh is currently Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of Hà Nội and Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee. 

The Politburo and the Secretariat made the decisions after considering proposals from the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission.

The Politburo and the Secretariat concluded that the violations of regulations and mistakes committed by the Party committees at the science-technology and the health ministry had caused serious consequences.

The three officials have degraded in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, violated the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws, resulting in serious consequences and major losses to the State budget, affecting the COVID-19 pandemic control efforts and causing great public concerns, undermining the prestige of the Party and the two ministries.  

The Politburo and the Secretariat also requested relevant agencies to impose administrative disciplinary measures on the collectives and individuals that have been punished by the Party.

The reasons for the disciplinary actions were not clearly stated, but the mid- Central Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of Việt Nam has concluded in their mid-May meeting that the Party committees of the health and science-technology ministries committed wrongdoings in the infamous case of price hiking and bribery related to COVID-19 tests taking place at Việt Á company, which has resulted in several health officials of local Centres for Disease Control (CDCs) detained and prosecuted. — VNS