Vietnam’s National Assembly ratified the UN Convention against Corruption on June 30. To learn what a country must do to meet its obligations under this convention, Tuoi Tre daily talked with an UNDP’s expert, Jairo Acuna-Alfaro.

Mr. Jairo Acuna-Alfaro.

Vietnam ratifies UN Convention against Corruption

Acuna-Alfaro said: When Vietnam participates in the Conference of Member Countries, it will have to submit periodic reports on its implementation of the convention. It will tell about its results based on international standards.

Vietnam has a comprehensive legal framework for combating corruption. The ratification of this convention is a positive indication of the Government’s determination.

Each member country is expected to take necessary activities, including legal and administrative methods based on their own laws, to ensure the implementation of the convention. The required reports will help Vietnam easily perceive the gaps in its legal framework and resolve them.

The convention is also flexible; it allows member countries to apply more strict methods than the convention’s articles if they wish in order to prevent and combat corruption.

An immediate meaning of Vietnam’s ratification of this convention is Vietnam’s deeper integration into the world. This convention provides criteria that will enable Vietnam to strengthen its supervision and judge the progress of its anti-corruption efforts based on international standards.

The eight chapters and 71 articles of the convention require Vietnam to implement detailed anti-corruption measures, which will influence the country’s laws, institutions and practices. These measures aim to strengthen Vietnam’s prevention, discovery and punishment of corruption and to strengthen anti-corruption cooperation among member countries.

Ratifying this convention helps Vietnam have comprehensive policies against corruption and create favourable conditions for enforcing administrative reforms. For instance, it is relevant to the Law on Government Employees that is being discussed in Vietnam. The convention asks member countries to build a transparent public sector, based on standards for effectiveness, transparency and objectivity.

How will the UN help Vietnam to implement this convention?

Outstanding people in fighting corruption gather at a meeting held by the HCM City People’s Committee on June 4, 2009.

The UN particularly expects to cooperate with and assist the Vietnamese Government to set up a monitoring system over corruption and its efforts against corruption.

This task is urgent. The battle against corruption requires strong and systematic data and the collection and processing of information to serve the policy-making process. Struggling against corruption must be based on evidence. It is necessary to have a broad-based national system to supervise anti-corruption effectively.

The convention has lots of provisions for cooperation among member countries in every aspect of anti-corruption, including prevention, investigation and judgment of the accused. The convention requires member countries to have specific policies on legal assistance to each other in collecting and sharing evidence for use in courts and in extradition of wrong-doers. The convention also asks member countries to work together to trace and seize the fruits of corruption.

Is investigation of a corruption case in a foreign country, which has connection to Vietnam, recognized in Vietnam and vice versa?

Each country applies articles of the convention depending on their legal framework. This convention sets up a framework for international cooperation, under which member countries can consider sharing evidence known to them to prosecutors in another country.

Especially, member countries agree to cooperate to improve the effectiveness of implementation of laws against the crimes covered by the convention in ways that conform to their legal and administrative systems.

Should we see the convention as a handbook on corruption combating?

The convention provides a framework for combating corruption that is recognized by the international community. It cannot replace national policies, nor is it a roadmap or a handbook. The ratification of this convention facilitates the building of capability to implement and cooperate on important corruption fighting policies, based on international standards.

VietNamNet/TT