The Party Politburo has issued a directive requiring Party committees and organisations at all levels to strengthen their leadership over the implementation of asset declarations by officials.

Directive 33-CT/TW makes it clear that asset declarations required of officials holding managerial positions is an important measure to prevent corruption. It, however, notes that the work has not been done properly in the past due to lax inspection and verification.

Therefore, the Politburo demands that Party committees and organisations at all levels work harder to ensure asset declaration and the publicising of declarations be taken seriously.

Strict punishment should be imposed on agencies, organisations and individuals that are slow in implementing asset declaration, or do the work in a dishonest way, the instructive says, adding that other violations such as failure to publicise or verify officials’ declarations must also be dealt with promptly.

The Politburo also asks for the inclusion of asset and income declaration in law in line with the UN Convention against Corruption.

The Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs is assigned to monitor the implementation of this directive and report regularly to the Politburo and the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.-VNA