PM requests verification of news on Deputy Minister’s assets The Prime Minister’s Office has issued instructions from PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Secretary of the Party Delegation to the Government, requesting relevant agencies’ prompt coordination in verifying news stories on Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa.   Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa. The PM asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Government Inspectorate to quickly carry out Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s instructions dated February 16, regarding the collaboration with the Central Inspection Commission and relevant agencies, to make a full accounting of the contents of published stories and related issues. The PM also assigned the Ministry of Finance to work with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Government Inspectorate, and the Steering Commission on Enterprise Reform and Development to screen related legal regulations to perfect them, overcome limitations in managing, preventing and fighting the loss of State assets, and deter corruption and group interest in the equitisation of the State-owned enterprises and report the results to the PM in the second quarter of 2017. On February 16, the Office of the Party Central Committee sent dispatch No.3308-CV/VPTW to the Party Central Committee’s Commissions for Inspection, Organisation and Internal Affairs; the Party Delegations to the Government, the Government Inspectorate and the ministries of Industry and Trade, Finance and Planning and Investment, requiring them to work together to promptly examine news stories run by several newspapers regarding Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa and report the outcomes to the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.  According to the dispatch, Nhan dan (People) newspaper ran an article “On asset filing by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa” on February 11; while Tuoi tre (Youth) produced a story “Deputy Minister Ho Thi Kim Thoa owns asset worth of hundreds of billion dong” on February 11 and the other “What does Deputy Minister’s family have in Dien Quang company?”.  Tien Phong (Vanguard) also published articles on February 14, 15, 16 calling for inspections on stock acquisition and control of officials’ family ties to prevent power abuse.  Several other papers also raised the issue. VNA