Decree No. 14/2005/NĐ-CP On Administrative Sanctions for Violations in the Field of Statistics

DECREE OF THE GOVERNMENT

On administrative offenses in the field of statistics

THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Based on the Statistics Law dated June 17, 2003;

Based on the Administrative Violation Handling Ordinance dated July 2, 2002;

Considering the proposal of the General Statistics Office Director,

DECREE:

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of application

1. This Decree stipulates acts of administrative offenses in the field of statistics, forms, levels of fines, measures to remedy consequences, authority and procedures for imposing administrative penalties in the field of statistics.

2. Administrative offenses in the field of statistics prescribed in this Decree include:

a) Violations of regulations on statistical surveys;

b) Violations of regulations on statistical reports;

c) Violations of regulations on publication and use of statistical information;

d) Violations of regulations on storage of statistical documents;

đ) Violations of regulations on inspection and supervision of statistics.

Article 2. Applicability

1. This Decree applies to:

a) Agencies and organizations (hereinafter referred to collectively as organizations) implementing the reporting system and statistical surveys;

b) Organizations and individuals using statistical information;

c) Organizations and individuals subject to statistical surveys; organizations and individuals conducting statistical surveys outside the state statistical organization system.

2. Foreign organizations and individuals operating within the territory of Vietnam committing administrative offenses in the field of statistics shall be punished according to the provisions of this Decree, except where international treaties to which Vietnam is a party provide otherwise.

Article 3. Principles of administrative penalty in the field of statistics

An organization shall be administratively penalized for all violations in the field of statistics caused by itself. After executing the administrative penalty decision, the organization that has been penalized shall identify the individual responsible for causing the administrative violation to determine disciplinary responsibility, financial obligations, and other legal responsibilities of that person in accordance with the law.

The principles of administrative penalty in the field of statistics shall be implemented in accordance with Article 3 of the Administrative Offense Handling Ordinance.

Article 4. Mitigating and Aggravating Circumstances

When imposing administrative penalties in the field of statistics, the following circumstances shall be considered mitigating or aggravating circumstances:

1. Mitigating circumstances:

a) The violator voluntarily reports, admits guilt, or self-corrects and remedies the consequences;

b) The violation was committed under duress or material or mental dependence;

c) The violation occurred due to extraordinary difficulties not caused by oneself;

d) The violation was committed due to limited competence, without training or guidance on statistical work, confirmed by relevant statistical authorities at various levels.

2. Aggravating circumstances:

a) Organized violation;

b) Intentionally failing to report or reporting false information two or more times, incorrectly applying calculation methods for statistical indicators, or improperly implementing statistical survey plans, despite being warned but still violating;

c) Exploiting positions or powers to commit violations;

d) Exploiting war conditions, natural disasters, or other special difficulties to commit violations;

đ) Committing violations during the period of enforcing decisions on administrative penalties related to statistics;

e) Engaging in actions to evade or conceal the violation after it has been committed.

Article 5. Time limit for administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. The time limit for administrative penalties in the field of statistics is one year from the date the administrative offense was committed; if the deadline has passed, no penalty will be imposed, but remedial measures will still be applied according to this Decree.

2. For individuals who have been indicted, prosecuted, or had a decision made to bring them to trial under criminal proceedings in the field of statistics, but later had a decision to terminate the investigation or close the case, and the violation has characteristics of an administrative offense, they will be subject to administrative penalties. Within three days from the date of the decision to terminate the investigation or close the case, the person making the decision must send the decision to the competent authority for imposing administrative penalties. In this case, the time limit for administrative penalties is three months, starting from the day the competent authority receives the decision to terminate the investigation or close the case regarding the violation.

3. If within the time limits specified in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 5, organizations or individuals again commit new administrative offenses in the field of statistics or intentionally evade or obstruct the imposition of penalties, the time limit specified in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article will not apply, and the time limit for administrative penalties will be recalculated from the date of the new violation or from the date of termination of the evasion or obstruction of the penalty imposition.

Article 6. Period considered as not having been administratively penalized in the field of statistics

Organizations and individuals administratively penalized in the field of statistics, if they do not reoffend within one year from the date of completion of the execution of the administrative penalty decision or from the date the time limit for enforcement of the administrative penalty decision expires, shall be considered as not having been administratively penalized.

Article 7. Forms of administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. For each act of administrative offense in the field of statistics, the violator must bear one of the following main forms of punishment:

a) Warning;

b) Fine.

2. Depending on the nature and degree of the violation, organizations and individuals committing administrative offenses in the field of statistics may also be subject to one or more remedial measures specified in the relevant articles of Chapter II of this Decree.

PART II
VIOLATIONS OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSES IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICS, FORMS AND LEVELS OF PENALTIES

Article 8. Violations of regulations in state statistical survey activities

1. Warning or a fine of VND 50,000 to VND 200,000 for one of the following acts:

a) Deliberately delaying the implementation of the requirements of the statistical surveyor;

b) Submitting statistical survey forms late by three to less than five days compared to the deadline set in the survey plan;

c) Submitting incomplete statistical survey forms compared to the requirements of the survey plan;

d) Failing to record all generated information on the statistical survey forms as required by the survey plan.

2. A fine of VND 200,000 to VND 500,000 for submitting statistical survey forms late by five to less than ten days compared to the requirements of the survey plan.

3. A fine of VND 500,000 to VND 2,000,000 for one of the following acts:

a) Intentionally recording incorrect initial information provided by the surveyed organization or individual on the survey form.

b) Arbitrarily entering information on the survey forms without conducting actual surveys at the units subject to statistical surveys as prescribed in the survey plan;

c) Refusing to provide information upon request of the surveyor as prescribed in the survey plan;

d) Submitting the survey forms later than ten days beyond the deadline stipulated in the survey plan;

4. A fine of from VND 2,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a) Obstructing statistical surveys;

b) Providing false information or compelling others to provide false information during statistical surveys;

c) Failing to submit the results of the aggregated statistical surveys to the centralized statistical organization authority within the prescribed time after completing the surveys;

5. Measures to remedy consequences:

a) Order to conduct supplementary surveys and enter complete information on the survey forms for violations under Point d Clause 1 of this Article;

b) Order to re-enter the initial information provided by organizations and individuals surveyed on the survey forms for violations under Point a Clause 3 of this Article;

c) Order to conduct sufficient surveys of the required units and truthfully record information on the survey forms for violations under Point b Clause 3 of this Article;

d) Order to provide truthful information for violations under Point c Clause 3 and Point b Clause 4 of this Article;

đ) Order to submit the results of the aggregated statistical surveys to the centralized statistical organization authority for violations under Point c Clause 4 of this Article;

Article 9. Violations of statistical survey regulations by organizations and individuals outside the state statistical system;

1. A fine of from VND 2,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 shall be imposed on organizations outside the state statistical system that use state budget funds for statistical surveys but fail to submit the results of the aggregated surveys to the centralized statistical organization authority as prescribed;

2. A fine of from VND 5,000,000 to VND 10,000,000 shall be imposed on organizations and individuals outside the state statistical system that conduct surveys to collect information beyond their functional scope without the consent of the relevant government management agency;

3. A fine of from VND 10,000,000 to VND 20,000,000 shall be imposed on organizations and individuals outside the state statistical system that abuse statistical surveys to harm national interests without reaching the level of criminal prosecution;

4. Measures to address consequences:

a) Order to submit the results of the aggregated surveys to the centralized statistical organization authority for violations under Clause 1 of this Article;

b) Order to cancel the results of the statistical surveys for violations under Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article;

Article 10. Violations of regulations on the use of statistical reporting forms;

1. A fine of from VND 500,000 to VND 2,000,000 shall be imposed for preparing statistical reports not in accordance with the forms issued by the competent authority;

2. Measures to remedy consequences: order to cancel the report prepared using incorrect forms and to prepare a new statistical report in accordance with the current reporting form prescribed by the state for violations under Clause 1 of this Article;

Article 11. Violations of deadlines for submitting statistical reports and financial statements;

1. Warning or a fine of from VND 50,000 to VND 200,000 shall be imposed for submitting reports late by less than five days for monthly statistical reports; less than ten days for quarterly and six-monthly statistical reports and financial statements; less than fifteen days for annual statistical reports and financial statements;

2. A fine of from VND 200,000 to VND 500,000 shall be imposed for submitting reports late by five to less than ten days for monthly statistical reports; ten to less than fifteen days for quarterly and six-monthly statistical reports and financial statements; fifteen to less than twenty days for annual statistical reports and financial statements;

3. A fine of from VND 500,000 to VND 1,000,000 shall be imposed for submitting reports late by ten to fifteen days for monthly statistical reports; fifteen to less than twenty days for quarterly and six-monthly statistical reports and financial statements; twenty to less than thirty days for annual statistical reports and financial statements;

4. A fine of from VND 1,000,000 to VND 3,000,000 shall be imposed for submitting reports late by twenty to thirty days for quarterly and six-monthly statistical reports and financial statements; thirty to forty-five days for annual statistical reports and financial statements;

5. A fine of from VND 3,000,000 to VND 7,000,000 shall be imposed for failing to submit statistical reports and financial statements;

Failure to submit statistical reports and financial statements is defined as not submitting such reports more than fifteen days after the prescribed deadline for monthly statistical reports, thirty days after the prescribed deadline for quarterly and six-monthly statistical reports and financial statements, and forty-five days after the prescribed deadline for annual statistical reports and financial statements;

6. Measures to remedy consequences: order to submit statistical reports and financial statements to the competent authority for violations under Clause 5 of this Article;

Article 12. Violations of requirements for completeness of statistical reports;

1. A fine of from VND 200,000 to VND 1,000,000 shall be imposed for incomplete reporting of the number of forms or statistical indicators in the monthly reporting system;

2. A fine of from VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,000,000 shall be imposed for incomplete reporting of the number of forms or statistical indicators in the quarterly and six-monthly reporting system;

3. A fine of from VND 2,000,000 to VND 3,000,000 shall be imposed for incomplete reporting of the number of forms or statistical indicators in the annual reporting system;

4. Measures to remedy consequences: order to supplement the missing forms and indicators in the reports for violations under Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article;

Article 13. Violations of statistical methods;

1. A fine of VND 1,000,000 to VND 3,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a) Implementing incorrectly the regulations on calculating indicators in statistical reports;

b) Implementing incorrectly the regulations on the scope of data collection and sources of aggregated data for statistical reports.

Apply remedial measures: compel compliance with the regulations on calculation methods for indicators and the scope of data collection, sources of statistical report compilation as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 14. Violation of the accuracy requirements for statistical reports

1. Impose a fine ranging from VND 1,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 for the act of submitting false statistical reports.

2. Apply remedial measures: compel the preparation of accurate statistical reports for the violation specified in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 15. Violation of the regulations on the exploitation of statistical database

1. Issue a warning or impose a fine ranging from VND 100,000 to VND 500,000 for the act of failing to provide timely and complete statistical databases as required.

2. Impose a fine ranging from VND 2,000,000 to VND 3,000,000 for the act of intentionally failing to provide technical conditions for exploiting statistical databases.

3. Impose a fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 7,000,000 for any of the following acts:

a) Failing to provide statistical databases as required;

b) Intentionally obstructing the exploitation of statistical databases.

4. Measures to address consequences:

a) Compel the provision of complete and timely statistical databases for the violations specified in Clause 1 and Point a of Clause 3 of this Article.

b) Compel the provision of technical conditions for exploiting statistical databases for the violation specified in Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 16. Violation of the regulations on the publication of statistical information

1. Impose a fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 for the act of publishing statistical figures and materials that have not been authorized but do not belong to the list of state secrets.

2. Impose a fine ranging from VND 5,000,000 to VND 10,000,000 for the act of publishing false statistical information.

3. Apply remedial measures:

Compel correction of published false statistical information for the violation specified in Clause 2 of this Article.

Article 17. Violation of the regulations on the use of statistical information

1. Issue a warning for the act of failing to clearly indicate the source of statistical information when disseminating or publishing on mass media or publications.

2. Impose a fine ranging from VND 500,000 to VND 1,000,000 for the act of incorrectly citing the source of statistical information when disseminating or publishing on mass media or publications.

3. Impose a fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 7,000,000 for the act of distorting officially published statistical information when disseminating or publishing on mass media or publications.

4. Apply remedial measures: compel correction of the cited, disseminated, or published sources of statistical information for the violations specified in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article.

Article 18. Violation of the regulations on the preservation and storage of statistical documents

1. Issue a warning or impose a fine ranging from VND 50,000 to VND 200,000 for the act of damaging investigation forms, reports containing statistical information within the retention period, but still capable of restoration.

2. Impose a fine ranging from VND 200,000 to VND 1,000,000 for the act of damaging investigation forms, reports containing statistical information within the retention period, but no longer capable of restoration.

3. Impose a fine ranging from VND 1,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 for any of the following acts:

a) Losing investigation forms, reports containing statistical information;

b) Destroying investigation forms, reports containing statistical information before the end of the retention period.

4. Apply remedial measures: compel restoration of investigation forms, reports containing statistical information still capable of restoration for the violation specified in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 19. Violation of the regulations on the confidentiality of statistical information provided by organizations and individuals

Impose a fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 for the act of disclosing statistical information linked to the name and specific address of organizations and individuals without their consent.

Article 20. Violation of the regulations on inspection and supervision of statistics

1. Issue a warning or impose a fine ranging from VND 50,000 to VND 200,000 for organizations and individuals who fail to provide complete and timely documents, vouchers, ledgers to delay or avoid requests from the Inspection Agency, Inspection Team, or Inspector while conducting inspections or audits.

2. Impose a fine ranging from VND 2,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 for organizations and individuals committing any of the following acts:

a) Refusing to comply with lawful requests from specialized statistical inspection agencies and other competent authorities;

b) Concealing, altering documents, vouchers, ledgers, or changing evidence during inspection.

CHAPTER III
AUTHORITY TO ISSUE ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATION DECISIONS AND VIOLATION RECORDS
IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICS

Article 21. Principles for determining the authority to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. The Chairman of the People's Committee at the district and provincial levels, the Director of the Inspection Agency, and Inspectors of the Provincial/City Statistics Bureau under the central government have the authority to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics within their respective administrative areas.

2. The Director of the Inspection Agency and Inspectors of the General Statistics Office have the authority to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics nationwide.

3. In cases where administrative violations in the field of statistics fall under the authority of multiple persons to impose penalties, the person who first handles the case shall impose the penalty.

4. The authority to impose penalties of those persons specified in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article applies to a single administrative violation. In cases involving fines, the authority to impose penalties shall be determined based on the maximum amount of the fine prescribed for each violation according to Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 of this Decree.

5. In cases where a person commits multiple administrative violations, the authority to impose penalties shall be determined according to the following principles:

a) If the form and level of penalty prescribed for each violation all fall within the authority of one person to impose penalties, then the authority remains with that person;

b) If the form and level of penalty prescribed for one of the violations exceed the authority of the person imposing penalties, then that person must transfer the case to the authority with jurisdiction to impose penalties.

Article 22. Authority to impose fines of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Districts

The Chairman of the People's Committee at the district level has the authority to:

1. Issue a warning;

2. Fine up to twenty million VND;

3. Apply the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

Article 23. Authority to impose fines of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Provinces

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has the authority:

1. Issue a warning;

2. Fine up to twenty million VND;

3. Apply the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

Article 24. The power to impose administrative penalties of specialized statistics inspectors

Specialized statistics inspectors include inspectors of the Inspectorate under the General Statistics Office and inspectors of the Statistics Departments of provinces and centrally-run cities.

When performing their duties, specialized statistics inspectors have the right:

1. Issue a warning;

2. Fine up to two hundred thousand VND;

3. Apply the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

Article 25. The power to impose administrative penalties of the Chief Inspector of the Statistics Department of provinces and centrally-run cities

The Chief Inspector of the Statistics Department of provinces and centrally-run cities has the authority:

1. Issue a warning;

2. Fine up to twenty million VND;

3. Apply the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

Article 26. The power to impose administrative penalties of the Chief Inspector of the General Statistics Office

The Chief Inspector of the General Statistics Office has the authority:

1. Issue a warning;

2. Fine up to twenty million VND;

3. Apply the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

Article 27. Delegation of the power to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. The delegation of the power to impose administrative penalties by the positions specified in Articles 22, 23, 25, and 26 of this Decree shall only be implemented for direct deputies. Such delegation must be made in writing when the head is absent.

2. The deputy authorized by the head has the right to impose administrative penalties within the scope of the head's authority; they must bear responsibility for the administrative penalty decisions they make.

PART IV
PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTIONS
IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICS

Article 28. Suspension of administrative violations in the field of statistics

Upon discovering or receiving reports about administrative violations in the field of statistics, the person with the authority to impose penalties must promptly inspect, verify, and issue an immediate order to suspend the violation.

Article 29. Recording of administrative violations in the field of statistics

1. When discovering administrative violations in the field of statistics, the person with the authority currently performing official duties must promptly record the administrative violation.

The person authorized to record administrative violations in the field of statistics is an officer or civil servant assigned the task of inspecting and supervising compliance with laws on statistics and the person with the authority to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics.

2. The recording of administrative violations in the field of statistics applies to all cases involving administrative violations related to statistics, except for cases where the violation is redefined from criminal proceedings to administrative penalties.

3. The administrative violation record in the field of statistics must be prepared in at least two copies according to the model attached to Decree No. 134/2003/NĐ-CP dated November 14, 2003, of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Administrative Violation Handling Ordinance 2002. The record must be signed by the recorder and the violator or representative of the organization violating on each page of the record. If the violator or representative of the organization refuses to sign, the recorder must clearly state the reason for not signing in the record.

4. The administrative violation record in the field of statistics must be handed over to the organization or individual violating one copy; if the violation exceeds the authority of the recorder to impose penalties, the recorder must send the record to the person with the authority to impose penalties.

Article 30. Decision on administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. The decision on administrative penalties in the field of statistics is prepared according to the model attached to Decree No. 134/2003/NĐ-CP dated November 14, 2003, of the Government. Based on the administrative violation record, the person with the authority to impose administrative penalties in the field of statistics issues the decision on penalties and applies the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree.

2. The deadline for issuing the decision on administrative penalties starts from the date of the administrative violation record; for complex administrative violation cases, the deadline for issuing the decision on administrative penalties may be extended. In cases requiring additional time for verification and evidence collection, the person with the authority to impose penalties must report in writing to their direct superior for extension; such extension must be in writing and cannot exceed thirty days. Beyond this deadline, the person with the authority to impose penalties cannot issue the decision on penalties; if no decision is issued, the measures to remedy consequences as prescribed in this Decree must still be applied.

3. When imposing penalties for multiple violations committed by one person, the person with the authority issues a decision on penalties for each violation separately; if the penalties are fines, they are combined to determine the total fine.

4. When imposing a fine, the specific amount of the fine for a single administrative violation within the same range of circumstances that increase or decrease the average fine level is determined based on the prescribed fine range for that violation. The average fine level is calculated by dividing the sum of the minimum and maximum levels. If there are mitigating circumstances, the fine can be reduced but not below the minimum level; if there are aggravating circumstances, the fine can be increased but not above the maximum level.

5. The decision on penalties takes effect from the date of signature, except where otherwise provided in the decision on penalties.

6. The decision on penalties in the form of a fine is sent to the organization or individual being penalized one copy, with the deadline for sending the decision being three days from the date of issuance of the decision on penalties.

Article 31. Payment of fines for administrative violations in the field of statistics

1. Within ten days from the date of receipt of the decision on penalties, the organization or individual being penalized must pay the fine at the State Treasury as specified in the decision on penalties, except in cases where payment is made on the spot as stipulated in Clause 2 of this Article.

2. In remote, isolated areas where travel is difficult, the organization or individual being penalized may pay the fine to the person with the authority to impose penalties. The person with the authority to impose penalties is responsible for collecting the fine on the spot and depositing it into the State Treasury within seven days from the date of collection.

Article 32. Stamping of the decision on administrative penalties in the field of statistics

1. The decision on administrative penalties in the field of statistics issued by the Chairman of the People's Committee of districts and provinces, the Chief Inspector of the Statistics Department of provinces, and the Chief Inspector of the General Statistics Office must be stamped with the seal of the authority that imposed the penalties.

The decision to impose a fine by a specialized inspector for statistics shall be stamped with the seal of the statistics inspection organization at the same level in the upper left corner of the fine decision, where the name of the penalizing agency, the number, and the code of the decision to impose a fine are recorded.

Article 33. Transfer the violation case with signs of criminal offenses for criminal responsibility pursuit, transfer the violation case for administrative offense penalty imposition and enforcement of the administrative offense penalty decision, and the statute of limitations for enforcing the administrative offense penalty decision in the field of statistics.

1. The procedure for transferring the violation case with signs of criminal offenses for criminal responsibility pursuit in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with Article 62 of the Ordinance on Handling Administrative Offenses.

2. The procedure for transferring the violation case for administrative offense penalty imposition and enforcement of the administrative offense penalty decision in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with Articles 63 and 64 of the Ordinance on Handling Administrative Offenses.

3. Compulsory enforcement of the administrative offense penalty decision in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 66 of the Ordinance on Handling Administrative Offenses and relevant laws.

4. The statute of limitations for enforcing the administrative offense penalty decision in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with Article 69 of the Ordinance on Handling Administrative Offenses.

CHAPTER V
SUPERVISION AND INSPECTION IN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSE PENALTY IMPOSITION, COMPLAINT AND REPORT HANDLING, AND TREATMENT FOR
PERSONS WITH AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSE PENALTIES IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICS

Article 34. Supervision and inspection regarding administrative offense penalty imposition in the field of statistics

The Director of the General Statistics Office shall have the responsibility to supervise and inspect administrative offense penalty imposition in the field of statistics, promptly handle complaints and reports about administrative offense penalty imposition in the field of statistics in accordance with the Law on Complaints and Reports and current relevant legal documents; handle persons who commit violations in administrative offense penalty imposition within their management scope, implement reporting systems on administrative offense situations under their responsibility as required by competent authorities.

Article 35. Citizens' responsibilities in detecting administrative offenses in the field of statistics

Every citizen has the right and obligation to detect and report administrative offenses in the field of statistics to the authority responsible for imposing penalties in accordance with Articles 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 of this Decree. The authority responsible for imposing penalties must promptly carry out penalties in accordance with the law.

Article 36. Handling complaints and lawsuits regarding administrative offense penalty decisions and reports about illegal actions of persons with authority to impose administrative offense penalties

1. Organizations and individuals subject to administrative offense penalties in the field of statistics have the right to complain to the authority issuing the administrative offense penalty decision to the competent state agencies. Competent state agencies have the responsibility to resolve complaints in accordance with the law on complaints and reports.

Initiating lawsuits against administrative offense penalty decisions in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with the law on procedures for resolving administrative cases.

During the complaint or lawsuit period, organizations and individuals subject to administrative offense penalties in the field of statistics still have to enforce the penalty decision; when there is a decision resolving the complaint from the competent state agency or a court judgment that has taken legal effect, they shall enforce the decision resolving the complaint from the competent state agency or follow the court judgment.

2. Reporting and handling reports about illegal actions concerning administrative offense penalty imposition in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with the Law on Complaints and Reports and other relevant laws.

Article 37. Handling violations of persons with authority to impose administrative offense penalties in the field of statistics

Handling violations of persons with authority to impose administrative offense penalties in the field of statistics shall be carried out in accordance with Article 121 of the Ordinance on Handling Administrative Offenses.

Chapter VI
IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 38. Effectiveness

This Decree takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette and replaces Government Decree No. 93/1999/NĐ-CP dated September 7, 1999, on administrative offense penalty imposition in the field of statistics.

Article 39. Responsibility for Implementation

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, Directors of the General Statistics Office, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities are responsible for implementing this Decree./.