Vietnamese media have been following the sudden fall of Dang Hanh Thu, former head of the Ministry of Finance’s General Department of Taxation. The high official was relieved of his position on June 3. On the sidelines of the National Assembly session, reporters asked Chief Inspector Tran Van Truyen about the case.
Cong An Nhan Dan: It’s been reported that Dang Hanh Thu and his wife own many plots of valuable land in Dong Nai province, where Thu was the chief of the provincial Customs Department a dozen years ago. When the Inspectorate checked Thu’s asset declaration, did you find irregularities?
Tran Van Truyen, Head of the Inspectorate: Complaints were received that though Thu is a government official, he had come to own a lot of land. The Prime Minister ordered an investigation and he received a report.
We found that Thu bought the land legally and openly. Secondly, [as civil servants are now required to do], Thu submitted a proper asset declaration. The only problem is that though he is an official, he bought a lot of land.
CAND: The question is, where did the money come from that he used to buy all that land?
That’s a different matter. If a competent agency asks him to explain where he got the money, Thu will have to explain. There are many sources of money. Thu’s wife’s family has its own business, so using their funds to buy land would be a normal thing. But because he bought a lot of land there, at that time, some people have raised questions. There is nothing obscure about the money itself.
Tuoi Tre: Can you confirm that the Minister of Finance has relieved Dang Hanh Thu of his position as chief of the General Department of Taxation?
I’ve heard that. As far as I know, that is not related to the land matter.
Tien Phong: Officials are now required to make asset declarations. Dang Hanh Thu submitted a declaration. Was that the source of his problem?
There’s no necessary connection. Thu was denounced as having acquired a lot of land illegally by abusing his power as an official. We investigated and found that the transactions were legal.
Lots of people in the central government, in the National Assembly have reported that they own very substantial assets; no one’s making a big fuss about that.
Tuoi Tre: In your work as an inspector, have you ever seen an official declare as many assets as Dang Hanh Thu?
Many, but I’m not at liberty to provide you details; there are strict regulations governing disclosure of such information.
PV
