A senior Government official has emphasised the need to formulate mechanisms to protect and promptly commend corruption denunciators.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong made the emphasis when speaking at a conference to honour outstanding individuals in the fight against corruption held by the Office of the Steering Committee for Preventing and Combating Corruption in Hanoi on May 7.

A highlight of the conference was the presence of 88 people, including 46 individuals who reported corrupt acts and cases and 42 others who uncovered and handled corrupt cases. Eight are journalists.

Accordingly, the Deputy PM tasked the Office of the Steering Committee for Preventing and Combating Corruption and the Ministry of Public Security to complete these mechanisms as soon as possible and submit them to the Prime Minister for promulgation.

He also requested that party committees and administrations at the grassroots level adopt a mechanism to protect corruption fighters and take responsibility for them when they are targeted by those guilty of corruption.

Trong underscored that uncovering and denouncing corrupt acts is very important as it is the premise helping responsible agencies to handle with corrupt cases and perpetrators promptly and accurately.

He also emphasised the need to exercise democracy regulations at the grassroots level and promote the role of people-elected and political organisations in supervising state officials and public civil authorities.

The government official reiterated that preventing and gradually warding off corruption is the goal of the Party, State and entire people, calling for the people to be determined and persistent in accomplishing the goal.

He commended the important significance of this conference, saying it offered the venue for the pioneers in the fight against corruption and the watchdog in the field to share their experiences to raise the effectiveness of the fight and wished that those present at this conference would continue to lead in the fight against the menace.

The Steering Committee Office Chief, Vu Tien Chien, said the conference represents the progress that the public has made in their awareness, responsibility and trust on the strength and success of the fight against corruption under the leadership of the Party and State.

He described an increase in the number of individuals who had the courage to fight head-to-head the scourge as a deterrent to those who intend to commit corruption.

However, Chien raised the fact that since corrupt state officials and public civil authorities are wielding power their revenge on those who dare to bring their bad deeds to light can be very sophisticated and have both short and long term consequences.

Prominent among those present at the conference were Nguyen Thi Hoa from Hanoi’s Tay Ho inner district, who reported wrongdoings relating to the construction of a facility on sluices connecting West Lake with the Hong (Red) river, and Hoang Van Khanh, Director General of the Hai Phong Apparels Joint Stock Company, who denounced former Vice-Director General of the Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development for asking and taking a bribe of 1 billion VND./.