HCMC – Tran Tuan Anh has been relieved of his position as member of the elite Politburo and member of the 13th Party Central Committee of the Party over personal reasons.
The Party Central Committee convened today, January 31, to review and decide on the request for resignation and retirement by Tran Tuan Anh, member of the Politburo and head of the Economic Commission of the Party Central Committee, and that by Phan Viet Cuong, member of the Party Central Committee, and secretary of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee.
Tran Tuan Anh had held numerous senior leadership roles and made great efforts in directing and managing the Ministry of Industry and Trade. However, as the leader of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, he had been held accountable for numerous violations at the ministry.
In December 2023, the Central Inspection Commission found that the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the ministry had violated the principle of democratic centralism, and working regulations, and exhibited lax leadership, resulting in serious violations of Party rules and State laws by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as by numerous affiliated organizations and individuals.
The violations occurred regarding the issuance of mechanisms for solar and wind power development, the implementation of the adjusted Power Development Plan VII, the management and licensing of fuel industry operations, the administration of the fuel price stabilization fund, the review, approval, and implementation for projects and packages executed by the scandal-hit AIC Company.
Among the series of high-ranking officials accountable for these violations are former Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and former Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai and former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong were detained and expelled from the Party.
Having acknowledged his responsibility, Tran Tuan Anh asked for resignation from his assigned positions and for retirement.
The 60-year-old served as Minister of Industry and Trade for five years, starting April 2016. In February 2021, he was picked by the Politburo as head of the Economic Commission of the Party Central Committee. He has been serving as deputy of the National Assembly for the 14th and 15th terms.
Phan Viet Cuong was also allowed to resign from his position as member of the 13th Central Committee of the Party.
As the secretary of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee from 2015 to 2020 and 2020 to 2025, he bears political responsibility for letting multiple organizations and lower-level party members commit serious violations, resulting in disciplinary actions and even criminal prosecution in some cases.
With Tran Tuan Anh no longer a Politburo member, the Politburo’s current membership has dropped to 15 people, namely (1) Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, (2) State President Vo Van Thuong, (3) Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, (4) Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue, (5) Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and Head of the Central Organization Committee Truong Thi Mai, (6) Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, (7) Secretary of the Hanoi City Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung, (8) Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission Phan Dinh Trac, (9) Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission Tran Cam Tu, (10) Minister of Public Security, General To Lam, (11) Minister of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang, (12) Chairman of the General Political Department of the People’s Army of Vietnam, General Luong Cuong, (13) Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh, (14) Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang, and (15) Permanent Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man.
