Customs: Strengthening discipline to prevent corruption

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the Center on management and operation of IT system at the General Department of Vietnam Customs. Photo: Quang Hung.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, due to characteristics of jobs, Customs officers always face up wih many economic sectors, money and the drawbacks of the market mechanism. Accordingly, there have been many enterprises and individuals trying to bribe Customs officers for smuggling, commercial fraud and tax evasion. Therefore, the General Department of Vietnam Customs always defines that Anti-corruption is one of the political tasks of Customs, which needs to be implemented regularly, constantly, persistently with a high political determination and various solutions.

In recent years, the Customs force has proposed to the Prime Minister to approve the Customs Development Strategy to 2020 and implement organizational strategies, Customs legislation and relevant Laws with specific schedules and programs. In addition, the Customs force regularly puts the automatic electronic clearance system (VNACCS/VCIS) into operation effectively. The General Department of Vietnam Customs has also focused on publicizing and promoting anti-corruption as well as the United Nations Convention against Corruption for civil servants and employees in Customs with many appropriate forms. Thereby, enhancing the understanding and awareness of civil servants and employees in the fight against corruption.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs said that subordinate units of Customs also complied with the provisions of anti-corruption legislation; and focused on anti-corruption operations in building and implementing institutions, policies and legislation in the field of Customs. In particular, the Customs force has thoroughly publicized and disseminated policies and the Laws on anti-corruption for Party members and Customs officers. Besides, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has regularly checked the operations of anti-corruption in Customs Departments and Customs Branches, especially the publicity and dissemination of anti-corruption legislation.

In 2012 - 2016, Customs focused on the prevention of violations, corruption and considered anti-corruption as the fundamental element in comprehensive development and modernization of Customs. Accordingly, Customs has focused on building and amending the legal system towards modernization and synchronization in accordance with the policies of reform of administrative procedures, international standards and commitments; building a professional force with transparency and integrity to meet the changes in the environment, technology and the requirements of international integration. Notably, in 2012 – 2016, Customs has developed and submitted to the competent authorities to issue Customs Law in 2014, the Law on export and import tax, documents detailing many rules and fundamental reforms in the long-term to meet the requirements of international integration in Customs.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has also implemented a series of measures to enhance the role and responsibilities of the leaders of committees, Party organizations and subordinate units in the operations of anti-corruption. Focusing on tasks of reform of administrative procedures; Customs revenues; management of taxpayers; risk management; combating smuggling and commercial fraud and counterfeiting.

Also, the Customs force has actively detected corruption activities with solutions such as: Customs examination and inspections against smuggling and commercial fraud; setting up a Center for online monitoring at the General Department of Vietnam Customs; maintaining a hotline on negative behaviours, harassment, corruption of Customs officers and civil servants through denunciation and reflection in the press and mass media.

With this initiative, the Customs force has detected and prevented Customs officers who commit acts of harassment and violations of the Law in a timely fashion. For example, for violations in the An Giang Customs Department, the General Department of Vietnam Customs detected abnormalities in value-added tax refund. Thus, the leader of the General Department of Vietnam Customs promptly reported to the Ministry of Finance and directed functional forces (including the Inspectorate Department and the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department) to immediately implement inspection plans and collaborate with the authorities to strictly handle and openly announce violated civil servants as prescribed by the Law.

It can be asserted that in 2012 - 2016, Customs has strictly implemented the anti-corruption Law, applied many measures to prevent and strictly handle violations and cases related to corruption. Thus, the number of cases related to corruption in recent years has decreased.

The statistics showed that, from 2011 to 2015, 342 Customs officers attracted various kinds of sanction such as reprimand, warning and threat to be dismissed. In 2015, Customs handled 33 violated civil servants. In particular, there were 21 civil servants with reprimands, 9 civil servants with warnings and 2 cases with dismissal.

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However, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said that the corruption and negative situation in the field of Customs always had a high risk, with a huge challenge. Therefore, in order to operate anti-corruption more efficiently, in the near future, Customs will focus on building a legal system with transparency and democracy. In addition, Customs has also strived to detect and handle the activities of corruption to meet the expectations of people, the Government and the National Assembly.