Four senior state inspectors, three others held over alleged corruption

Law enforcers have detained four senior officials working for the State Inspection Authority (SIA) for investigations into corruption, and three other individuals for allegedly offering bribes.
The detentions, which occurred on February 10, came after law enforcement officials amassed sufficient information and evidence to take the suspects into custody, the Inspection Magazine published by the SIA said on its Facebook page on Monday.
The officials were described as being a director general, a deputy director general, and two deputy division heads. Three other individuals were also detained for allegedly offering bribes to the four officials. The investigation is ongoing. 
The Inspection Committee of the Party Central Committee and SIA - the top anti-corruption bodies of the Party and state - have always placed great importance on inspections of their own officials in an attempt to prevent staff from abusing their positions of power, the magazine said, adding that accepting bribes is a total violation of the law.
This latest case is part of the government’s escalated anti-corruption drive.
The magazine also reported that 11 employees, including five women, at the Bank of the Lao PDR and Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public (BCEL) are being prosecuted for alleged corruption and abuse of position and authority for personal gain, resulting in financial losses.
Those charged include three directors general and others holding various positions.
Prior to being charged, the SIA, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, investigated allegations of misconduct and detained the individuals involved.
Authorities are now conducting further investigations before submitting a case to the People’s Prosecutor Office for legal proceedings.
In another case, authorities in southern Attapeu province recently confiscated the assets of 21 provincial officials and other individuals implicated in fraudulent activities that resulted in losses estimated at more than US$2.5 million, 17.3 billion kip and 15 billion Vietnamese dong.
Investigations revealed that funds intended for the upgrade of Road No. 9004 were illegally withdrawn from the provincial treasury using falsified documents.
The case exposed deep-rooted corruption involving government officials, business operators and other individuals engaged in fraudulent financial transactions.
To date, authorities have recovered significant sums, including 18.4 billion kip, 59,400 baht and US$57,000, from the suspects. Legal action is now being pursued to bring the offenders to justice.
The current corruption drive underscores the government’s intensified efforts to combat the issue and hold those involved accountable.
These escalating efforts are reflected in the amendment of the Constitution (2025 version), which was recently promulgated and empowers the State Inspection Authority to fulfill its mandate to stamp out misconduct and the misuse of state assets.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
 (Latest Update April 1, 2025)