HANOI, April 20 (Reuters) - A former deputy prime minister in Vietnam sacked late last year over mismanagement has made a comeback, being appointed as an assistant to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, official media reported on Thursday.
The Saigon Times Daily said Ngo Xuan Loc would provide advice to the prime minister on policy and projects in the manufacturing, construction and transport sectors.
He would also monitor progress on major projects such as Vietnam's first oil refinery.
Loc, formerly one of five deputy prime ministers and who had responsibility for industry and construction, was sacked for approving a recreational water park project in Hanoi that was plagued by allegations of graft and illegal land transfers.
During a plenum of the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee that ended on Wednesday, high-profile Planning and Investment Minister Tran Xuan Gia was also rebuked over the project, which is unlikely to ever get built.
The party never accused Loc of graft, nor did officials say exactly what role Gia had played.
Analysts had previously said the dismissal of Loc was intended to mollify a populace cynical about attempts to stamp out widespread official corruption and boost confidence in the state apparatus.
Several other senior cadres have been rebuked in the past six months for mismanagement in their posts, but none have been formally charged.