Chief of the Government Inspectorate Huynh Phong Tranh was grilled over the origin of huge assets owned by incumbent and former officials of the central inspection agency but he did not give clear explanations to the National Assembly (NA).

At a Questions and Answers session of the NA in Hanoi on June 12, Tranh was asked to clarify the assets of deputy chief of the Government Inspectorate Ngo Van Khanh and former chief of this agency Tran Van Truyen.

Two months ago, Khanh’s hefty assets worth dozens of billions of dong made headlines. Khanh told the media that the queries related to his asset declarations would be answered by the Government Inspectorate.

Therefore, at the Q&A session on June 12, deputy Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy from Danang asked if it was appropriate for a deputy head of the Government Inspectorate to own so many assets, including shares of the businesses that were previously inspected.

Tranh responded that the Government Inspectorate had asked Khanh to report on the origin of his assets and the declaration process for his assets since 2007. He added that Khanh had declared his assets in line with relevant regulations and there was no sign that Khanh’s statements were false.

However, Tranh said there would be a final conclusion on Khanh’s assets declarations.

Regarding Tran Van Truyen, Tranh said his predecessor had got informed of this case but could not give a clear answer as Truyen had retired but was now still under the management of the Party Secretariat.

“The issues concerning Truyen will be decided by the Party Secretariat,” Tranh said.

With such responses of Tranh, whether the assets of Khanh and Truyen are legal or not has gone unanswered.

As previously covered by Nguoi Cao Tuoi newspaper, Khanh declared that he and his family own two lots – one of 114 square meters and the other of 248 square meters in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai District – on which there are five-floor houses. Besides, he possesses a 1,800-square-meter land plot worth around VND18 billion in Me Linh District, a deposit account totaling over VND7 billion at Vietnam International Bank (VIB), and share holdings at four banks and two companies.

For Truyen, Nguoi Cao Tuoi newspaper also mentioned a villa covering thousands of square meters in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre and some properties in HCMC allegedly owned by Truyen.

Regarding Truyen’s appointments of over 60 officials at the Government Inspectorate shortly before Truyen retired, Tranh admitted that there were irregularities about some appointments.

SGT/VNN