View source for Vietnam fires a top Communist Party official for misconduct

HANOI, May 7 (Reuters) - [https://vietnamtour.com/vietnam-highlights-tour-t484.html vietnam tour 10 days]'s ruling Communist Party on Sunday dismissed a high-profile party official from his politburo position for misconduct while he headed the country's state oil and gas firm.<br><br>The vote to remove Dinh La Thang, 56, one of the 19 members of the country's most powerful politburo, was a rare sanction for such a prominent official in the [https://Www.Academia.edu/people/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=one-party one-party] state.<br><br>In an online statement, the party said that while he was chairman of PetroVietnam between 2009-2011, Thang had committed "weaknesses and serious violations in his leadership, command and staff works...sparking annoyance among officials, party members and the people."<br><br>On April 27, the party's inspection [http://Search.Usa.gov/search?affiliate=usagov&query=committee committee] said Thang had been responsible numerous illegal projects and big financial losses of PetroVietnam, and overseen the company's acquisition of an excessive stake in Ocean Bank of Ocean Group. The [http://Rt.com/search/everywhere/term/bank%27s%20founder/ bank's founder] and ex-chairman was arrested in 2014.<br><br>Thang's dismissal comes amid a wider crackdown on corrupt officials at PetroVietnam and its subsidiaries, including Drilling Mud Corp.<br><br>Another former PetroVietnam chairman was detained in 2015 and three other [http://Search.About.com/?q=senior%20officials senior officials] at the company face possible sanctions for related offences.<br><br>In its statement, the party made no mention of whether Thang would retain his post as party chief of [https://vietnamtour.com/vietnam-highlights-tour-t484.html vietnam tour 10 days]'s economic hub Ho Chi Minh City.<br><br>Thang was an unusually outspoken official among normally-reticent Communist Party apparatchiks, known for his forthright comments on sensitive issues. He once phoned a top executive at dairy firm Vinamilk's and asked the company to help cow farmers.<br><br>Thang headed several state firms and was the minister of transport before he secured a politburo position in 2016.<br><br>It is unusual in [https://vietnamtour.com/vietnam-highlights-tour-t484.html vietnam tour 10 days] for a senior official to be dismissed while still holding a position.<br><br>It is unclear whether another party member will be appointed to replace Thang. (Reporting by Mai Nguyen; editing by Richard Lough)