Transport Minister, Dinh La Thang, admitted that he was behind the promotion of Duong Chi Dung as head of the Maritime Administration, spurring an investigation by the ministry into those involved before reporting to the PM.

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang

 At a press conference on the afternoon of June 14, the minister said that Duong Chi Dung's promotion was carried out in accordance with the law and Government regulations.

“The appointment didn’t violate the Inspectorate Law. However, in 2007, Dung was prosecuted and a warrant for his arrest was issued. The promotion shows shortcomings in the appointment process," Thang said.

“The Ministry  of Transport will take responsibility for any mistakes by management within the ministry, which resulted in the ministry not realising that Dung had been prosecuted in 2007," Thang added.

After the mistake was caught, the ministry applied Government regulations to Dung's case, and is in the process of reviewing their officials and management methods. They have suggested that communication channels should be improved between Government agencies.

“My suggestion is to include a new regulation for official appointment policy, so that when inspections are being carried out by an agency, it would not be able to move officials between agencies because it could cause confusion for the receiving agency in confirming the official's information," Thang added.