Viet Nam transparent COVID recovery / Pakistan mining case / Malaysia bio-fertiliser procurement

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Asia's COVID recovery: Vietnam's breakout moment.  “By the first half of 2020, Vietnam had fast-forwarded the timelines of more than a dozen massive projects…Other legacies may not be financial. In fending off the coronavirus, Vietnam was transparent almost to a fault, according to observers who hope this approach will prevail in a country better known for the opacity of party reshuffles and land deals.”

Lien Hoang/Nikkei Asia: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/Asia-s-COVID-recovery-Vietnam-s-breakout-moment  

 

How Pakistan lost $6 billion on a gold mine.  “Pakistan’s US and France based real estate assets are at risk of confiscation as a United Kingdom court moves to enforce an arbitration tribunal decree that fined it US$5.9 billion for retracting a 28-year old gold exploration contract with foreign mining companies…the project hit a snag…when the Balochistan mining authority revoked TCC’s mining rights on the grounds that the company had secured the contract in a “non-transparent” manner.”

FM Shakil/Asia Times: https://asiatimes.com/2021/01/how-pakistan-lost-6-billion-on-a-gold-mine/  

 

Ex-ministry officer charged with corruption involving RM100k.  “A former senior assistant secretary to a ministry was charged at the Sessions Court here today with two counts of receiving RM100,000 [approx. US$24,750] in bribes linked to the issuance of tenders for the supply and delivery of bio-fertilisers to a company.”

Jason Thomas/Free Malaysia Today: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/01/21/ex-ministry-officer-charged-with-corruption-involving-rm100k/

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