Laos investigates 71 officials for corruption in 2016: report

Investigations were carried out in relation to 71 officials at local and central government levels in Laos suspected of corrupt conduct in 2016, according to a report by the State Inspection Authority (SIA) released Tuesday.

Among the 71 officials, nine were from the Ministry of Finance, 30 from northern Oudomxay province, three from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, 27 from central Savannakhet province, one from southern Salavan province, and one from the labor and social welfare sector, said the report, quoted by state-run Vientiane Times.

After investigations, 25 officials were put forward for prosecution, some of whom had court verdicts adjudicated in relation to their cases.

SIA Vice President Sinay Mienglavanh presented the report at the annual inspection meeting which opened Tuesday in Lao capital Vientiane.

He said officials had engaged in corrupt activities such as bribery, abuse of power, sub-standard or fraudulent construction methods and document forgery, and the defrauding of state and cooperative assets.

Lao party and government have been taking serious actions against corruption in recent years, requiring individual property declarations by government officials and civil servants beginning in 2014.

So far, more than 1,900 officials and civil servants at the central level, some 98,000 people under ministerial supervision, and around 142,000 officials and civil servants under provincial administrations have declared their assets. Endit