Lawmakers relieve Vương Đình Huệ from NA Chairman position

VIETNAM, May 2 - HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) has relieved Vương Đình Huệ from the NA Chairman position of the 2021-26 tenure during its extraordinary session in Hà Nội on Thursday.

The 15th-tenure parliament also agreed to relieve Huệ from being a NA deputy (belonging to Hải Phòng City’s delegation) and a member of the National Defence and Security Council.

Politburo member Trần Thanh Mẫn, Permanent NA Vice Chairman, has been assigned to steer the NA and NA Standing Committee’s activities after Huệ left the leading position.

Mẫn, born in 1962, hails from the Mekong Delta province of Hậu Giang. He was elected as the permanent NA vice chairman on April 1, 2021.

In July 2021, at the first session of the 15th NA, he was re-elected as NA vice chairman.

The 13th Party Central Committee on April 26 agreed to let Huệ cease holding the positions of Politburo member, member of the 13th Party Central Committee, and Chairman of the 15th NA in the 2021-26 tenure upon his personal request.

The same day at its extraordinary session, the legislature approved a resolution to dismiss Dương Văn Thái from the 15th NA membership. He was a member of the 13th Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Bắc Giang Provincial Party Committee, and head of the Bắc Giang Provincial NA delegation.

On Wednesday, the NA Standing Committee issued a resolution agreeing with the Procurator of the Supreme People's Procuracy’s proposal on launching legal proceedings against, detaining, and searching residences and workplace of Dương Văn Thái in accordance with legal provisions.

The resolution also includes the temporary suspension of Thái from performing the NA deputy’s duties and powers from the date of the decision of the start of the proceedings against him, according to a press release by the NA General Secretary.

Earlier, on April 15, the Ministry of Public Security took legal action, arresting Nguyễn Duy Hưng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thuận An Group, and five others, including two leaders of Thuận An and three officials from Bắc Giang Province, for serious violations of bidding regulations leading to significant consequences and involvement in bribery.

Expanding the investigation into Thuận An Group's case, on April 22, the Ministry of Public Security also arrested Phạm Thái Hà, deputy chief of the National Assembly Office and assistant to the NA Chairman, for “abusing position and power to influence another person for personal gains”.

Founded in 2004 as Thuận An Trading and Development Construction JSC, Thuận An Group specialises in investment and construction for technical infrastructure projects, as well as trading in electricity, renewable energy and real estate. VNS