PMU 18 scandal: Difference between revisions
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===Role of the press=== |
===Role of the press=== |
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The scandal is notable in that the press was allowed to report on the issue in great depth. Several years ago, such topics were taboo in the Vietnamese press, as the [[Communist Party of Vietnam|Communist Party]] keeps a tight grip on the media. Major newspapers openly ridiculed the officials involved and called for their resignations. Some observers attribute this to internal conflicts within the party between reformers and hardliners. Others see this as a normal |
The scandal is notable in that the press was allowed to report on the issue in great depth. Several years ago, such topics were taboo in the Vietnamese press, as the [[Communist Party of Vietnam|Communist Party]] keeps a tight grip on the media. Major newspapers openly ridiculed the officials involved and called for their resignations. Some observers attribute this to internal conflicts within the party between reformers and hardliners. Others see this as a normal occurrence before every National Congress and expect things to return to normal after the Congress ends.<ref name="BBC báo chí">{{languageicon|vi|Vietnamese}} {{cite news|first=Hoàng|last=Dương|author=Hoàng Dương|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/story/2006/04/060417_vietpress_precongress.shtml|title=Báo chí Việt Nam trước đại hội X|publisher=[[BBC World Service]]|date=2006-04-17|accessdate=2006-04-18}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 09:29, 20 April 2006
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
The PMU 18 scandal is a multi-million dollar political corruption scandal that involved accusations of embezzlement, bribery, nepotism, and gambling at the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (Bộ Giao thông Vận tải, GTVT) at the beginning of 2006. The scandal received extensive press coverage in Vietnam, a rarity in the one-party state. It generated a great public outcry in Vietnam and controversy in other countries and at organizations that provided Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the country. Due to the scandal, Transport Minister Đào Đình Bình was forced to resign and his deputy was arrested. The scandal has become a major issue leading up to the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which is currently in session, when the government leadership is being reviewed.
PMU 18
Project Management Unit 18 (PMU-18) is a bureau within the transportation ministry for road construction and other infrastructure projects. It has a budget of 2 billion USD, which includes funds from overseas donors, notably Japan, the European Union, Australia and the World Bank.[1]
The scandal
In early January 2006, Bùi Tiến Dũng, Executive Director of PMU-18 was detained, and it was announced that 1.8 million dollars had been embezzled to gamble on football matches. He was also accused of using the payouts to pay for prostitutes. The police found files inside the unit's computers revealing that over 200 employees at the unit had participated in the gambling. He is also under investigation over the procurement of luxury vehicles for other government officials.[1]
Deputy Transport Minister Nguyễn Việt Tiến, a former head of PMU-18, was soon also detained and his home was searched.[2]
The scandal affected many high-ranking officials. It was revealed that Bùi Tiến Dũng attempted to bribe officials after his arrest. People in the Prime Minister's office were investigated and the General Secretary's son-in-law was also implicated. A vice chief of police was implicated and withdrew his name from the list of delegates to the National Congress.
In early April 2006, Transport Minister Đào Đình Bình resigned, accepting responsibility for the embezzlement of millions of dollars of state money by his staff.[2] This took place days before the opening of the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which is currently in session.
Role of the press
The scandal is notable in that the press was allowed to report on the issue in great depth. Several years ago, such topics were taboo in the Vietnamese press, as the Communist Party keeps a tight grip on the media. Major newspapers openly ridiculed the officials involved and called for their resignations. Some observers attribute this to internal conflicts within the party between reformers and hardliners. Others see this as a normal occurrence before every National Congress and expect things to return to normal after the Congress ends.[3]
References
- ^ a b Harkey, Clare (2006-04-18). "Crisis dogs Vietnam congress". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-04-18.
{{cite news}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ a b "Vietnam ministry hit by scandal". BBC News. 2006-04-04. Retrieved 2006-04-18.
- ^ Template:Languageicon Dương, Hoàng (2006-04-17). "Báo chí Việt Nam trước đại hội X". BBC World Service. Retrieved 2006-04-18.
{{cite news}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help)
Template:Languageicon "Vụ PMU 18". Wikipedia, Bách khoa toàn thư mở (in Vietnamese). 2006. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccessed= ignored (help)
External links
- Vietnam Communists meet in crisis
- Communist debate grips Vietnam
- Vietnamese ministry hit by scandal
- Template:Languageicon Special reports about the scandal – Tuổi Trẻ newspaper
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