Minister and Head of the Government Office, Nguyen Van Nen, voiced some opinions on the government's actions on ODA projects following the JTC's bribery scandal.

Minister and Head of the Government Office, Nguyen Van Nen

 At the regular press conference, held on April 1, Nen said the government's determination is shown by the fact that it assigned two deputy prime ministers to deal with the case, and agencies at all levels sent investigators to look into their members. "The prime minister has met with the Japanese prime minister during the Nuclear Security Summit to talk about this issue," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has stated that there remains something strange about the case. This ODA project was specifically brought to Japanese firms. At first, there were many firms who bid, but by the end there was only one left in the process, leaving no competition.

However, Nen said that all information must be gathered and carefully considered before jumping to conclusions. "We are still waiting for results from the investigation teams and the police. We will punish any Vietnamese if wrongdoings are discovered," he said.

The new law on public procurement will take effect on July 1. After being revised, it its hoped that the new law will improve the state's management of bidding activities. Nen added, "The most important factor here is the human factor, which leaves many potentialities open. Laws drafted to set up standards and priorities to prevent corruption."

He went on to say that the government should learn from other countries, and combine their experiences with new methods to create more comprehensive regulations.