Inspection Commission announces outcomes of 13th session

Hanoi (VNA) – The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission on April 14 issued an announcement about its 13th session that took place in Hanoi on April 12-13.

The announcement said the session reached conclusions on disciplinary measures against the Party Affairs Section at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and several individuals for their mistakes related to the marine environment incident caused by the Formosa Ha Tinh steel factory.

According to the commission, the MoNRE’s Party Committee of the 2011-2016 tenure showed a lack of responsibility and lax leadership and monitoring, resulting in the ministry and some individuals violating State regulations on environmental protection and water resources management involving Formosa Ha Tinh steel-making project, thus causing serious environment consequences.

Nguyen Minh Quang, former Party Central Committee member, former Secretary of the MoNRE’s Party Affairs Section, and former Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, must bear responsibility as the top leader for violations committed by the MoNRE Party Committee (2011-2016 tenure).

Former member of the MoNRE’s Party Affairs Section, former Deputy Minister and former head of the Environment Administration Bui Cach Tuyen was irresponsible when approving environment impact assessment reports and ignored warnings about impacts on the environment. Tuyen also slackened leadership over the supervision and inspection of Formosa’s construction of environment facilities.

Former member of the MoNRE’s Party Affairs Section and former Deputy Minister Nguyen Thai Lai showed irresponsibility and lax supervision in verifying and approving licences for Formosa’s wastewater discharge.

The inspection commission requested that the Party Central Committee Secretariat consider disciplinary actions against the MoNRE’s Party Affairs Section and the three former officials Quang, Tuyen and Lai in line with the Party’s regulations.

The commission decided to remove all Party posts of Luong Duy Hanh, head of the MoNRE’s Environmental Protection and Control Department, for his lack of responsibility when serving as head of the inspection team for Formosa project.

Regarding the Secretary of the Party Delegation and President of the Vietnam Cooperatives Alliance Vo Kim Cu, who used to be Secretary of the Party Committee of Ha Tinh province, Secretary of the Party Affairs Section and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, the inspection commission concluded that he had to bear the main responsibility for violations and mistakes committed by the provincial Party Affairs Section and the provincial People’s Committee in the 2008-2016 period and by the provincial economic zone management board in 2008-2010. Cu himself signed many documents in violation of the law, such as granting investment licence and allowing the lease of sea surface outside of the economic zone, allowing Formosa to conduct land clearance to build wastewater pipelines, while failing to keep close supervision and inspection of the implementation of the project.  

The inspection commission requested the Party Central Committee Secretariat to consider disciplinary measures against Cu in line with Party regulations.

At the same time, the commission decided to remove former Secretary of the Party Committee and head of the Ha Tinh provincial economic zone management board Ho Anh Tuan from the post of Secretary of the Party Committee of the provincial economic zone management board in the 2005-2010 and 2010-2015 tenures. The commission said Tuan had to bear responsibility for violations by the provincial economic zone’s management board during 2010-2016 and he himself signed several documents against the law and allowed Formosa to start construction of its project before completing necessary procedures.

At the event, the commission also considered and answered several complaints and denunciation letters.

Last year, Formosa admitted that untreated water dumped directly into the sea from its steel plant in Ha Tinh caused the massive death of fish in waters off the four central provinces.

The disaster affected some 100,000 fishermen and local workers of the fishing and seafood industries.

Formosa paid 500 million USD in compensation to people that had their livelihoods affected by the disaster.-VNA