Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh told correspondents on the sideline of the mid-term Consultation Group (CG) meeting on June 5, that Denmark does not officially cut ODA grants yet, but only suspends ODA for three projects during investigative time. Minister Bui Quang Vinh. Vinh re-affirmed that the information provided by Denmark is the first step, which is based on independent auditing results. “The Danish government has just suspended ODA grants during the investigative time, not officially cuts assistance,” Vinh said. The Minister said that at the mid-term CG meeting, international donors did not mention the case. Vinh said that relevant bodies of Vietnam are cooperating with Danish agencies to investigate the suspicions. “The Vietnamese government’s point of view is very clear: the government will seriously look into these issues and audit these projects to have correct appraisals,” he added. If Vietnamese partners make violations, the Vietnamese government will punish violators strictly to retrieve donors’ trust. “Vietnam respects each coin of capital provided by donors, especially in the current difficult situation,” Vinh said. He noted that it is possible that there is difference between foreign auditing mechanisms and Vietnam’s calculation methodology, so it is unable to make hasty judgment about suspicions raised by Denmark. Earlier, on May 31, the Copenhagen Post newspaper cited Danish Minister of Development Christian Friis Bach about the decision to stop funding some ODA projects in Vietnam--owing to suspicions of fraud, with around $550,000 being unclearly spent. Vietnamese partners said that they had not known about the auditing report until it was unilaterally published by Denmark. On June 2, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Viet Thanh said that related sides were working together to define violations. Vietnamese partners in the three suspicious projects on June 4 raised their voice, saying that there was misunderstanding on accounting and auditing rules in Vietnam. Related agencies of Vietnam and Denmark met today, June 6, to consider suspicious projects. Vietnamnet/ PV