Former deputy PM, transport minister embroiled in scandalous violations

The Party Central Inspection Committee said Sunday that former Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh and other leaders of the Ministry of Transport were responsible for mismanaging several state-owned companies.

Dinh La Thang, a former political star who was transport minister and chairman of state oil giant PetroVietnam, was mainly responsible for the violations, the committee said.

Thang is serving a 13-year jail term he was given in January for economic management violations.

Ninh, 64, served as deputy PM between 2011 and 2016. Thang was board chairman of PetroVietnam between 2006 and 2011, before his career took off as Minister of Transport in former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s cabinet and then as Party leader of Ho Chi Minh City.

Pham Viet Muon, former Deputy Head of the Government Office, committed violations in advising government leaders about the equitization of and divestment from several state-owned businesses, the committee said.

Four deputy transport ministers, Nguyen Hong Truong, Nguyen Van Cong, Nguyen Ngoc Dong, Nguyen Nhat, are also responsible for these violation.

These violations have resulted in major losses to the state, and badly impacted the reputations of the Party and the transport sector, the committee said. Specific numbers were not revealed.

It requested party authorities to hand out due punishments to the violators.