Laos is ramping up efforts to strengthen transparency and public accountability, rolling out a new Party resolution alongside deeper cooperation with Vietnam on inspection and anti-corruption work.
At high-level talks in Hanoi on 25 August, Lao and Vietnamese officials agreed to strengthen ties between their inspection and anti-corruption agencies, exchanging experience on improving inspection mechanisms, resolving public complaints, and building shared digital databases to support oversight.
Both sides committed to regular consultation going forward, framing the cooperation as part of the countries’ broader, long-standing partnership.
Laos Tightens Anti-Corruption Measures
The push builds on a resolution issued by the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party on 20 August, aimed at strengthening oversight and reducing bureaucracy, corruption, and related issues across the Party-state apparatus and wider society.
The resolution calls for stronger inspection in key sectors, including land management, mining, forestry, public finance, banking, and state investment projects, and introduces mandatory asset and income declarations for managing officials, alongside greater public disclosure of audit findings and court rulings.
Digital transformation is a central pillar of the plan. By expanding e-government tools and online meetings, authorities aim to cut red tape and reduce the paper-based processes that can create openings for corruption.
Party Secretaries and provincial governors will be held directly accountable for oversight within their jurisdictions, while mass organizations, media, and the public are being encouraged to play a greater role in monitoring and reporting.
Recent Corruption Cases
The renewed anti-corruption drive follows a string of major sentences handed down by Lao courts in recent months, involving government officials, state enterprises, and businesspeople.
On 30 July, the Attapeu Provincial People’s Court sentenced 15 officials over a corruption scheme that caused confirmed state losses of roughly LAK 51.9 billion (about USD 2.4 million), USD 2.316 million, and THB 60,000 (about USD 1,650). Ten defendants received life sentences, while the remaining five were sentenced to between two and 20 years.
The court found that the scheme, which ran between 2021 and 2024, moved more than LAK 103.5 billion (about USD 4.8 million), USD 2.356 million, and VND 1.5 billion (about USD 59,000) through the defendants’ hands.
The Attapeu ruling followed four major corruption cases decided by the Vientiane Capital People’s Court on 1 July, involving 17 defendants from the State Inspection Authority, the Bank of the Lao PDR, the Agricultural Promotion Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Electricity of Laos (EDL).
At least 10 defendants received life sentences for bribery, abuse of office, embezzlement, fraud, and document forgery. Courts also ordered asset confiscation and compensation, including more than USD 24.8 million in damages from an EDL hydropower case.
The renewed push comes after Laos climbed to 114th place in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index. Still, its score of 34 remains below the global benchmark of 50.
