An Giang Province Discovers Over 1 Billion VND Overpaid to Redundant Staff

In An Giang Province, Vietnam, discrepancies have been identified in the disbursement of funds related to a staff reduction policy (tinh giản biên chế) implemented under Government Decree 178. According to the provincial Department of Home Affairs, out of 3,800 submitted applications, 3,263 cases were processed for policy application. Subsequent detailed audits revealed that over 1 billion VND (approximately 560 million JPY) was overpaid in 35 cases. Concurrently, it was confirmed that 26 cases had received less than the entitled amount, also exceeding 1 billion VND in total. The Department of Home Affairs cited the rapid pace of policy implementation as the primary reason for these payment errors. Under Political Bureau Conclusion 183-KL/TW, the entire staff reduction process was mandated to be completed within a short timeframe, from July 1st to August 30th. This tight schedule is believed to have led to mistakes in the review, approval, and actual disbursement procedures. For the 35 cases of overpayment, the provincial Departments of Finance and Home Affairs collaborated to have the An Giang Provincial People's Committee issue a decision adjusting the budget allocation, and the recovery of overpaid funds has been completed. Regarding the 26 underpaid cases, the An Giang Provincial People's Committee has sent a document to the Ministry of Finance requesting guidance on supplementary payments. However, as the implementation deadline of August 30th has passed, the province lacks the legal basis to independently disburse additional funds. Disbursement procedures for the underpaid amounts are expected to commence upon receiving official guidance from the Ministry of Finance. Source: Nhan Dan