HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has instituted significant legal reforms by eliminating the death penalty for eight offenses, a change that may affect the future of a real estate tycoon sentenced in the country’s largest financial fraud case.
The recent legal updates have abolished the death penalty for crimes such as attempting to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, producing and distributing counterfeit medicine, initiating wars, espionage, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and bribery. These reforms were approved by Vietnamese legislators on Wednesday, as reported by state media.
Truong My Lan, a 67-year-old chair of the real estate firm Van Thinh Phat, could see her death sentence revoked following the reforms. Her involvement in a massive fraud case worth $12.5 billion, equating to about 3% of Vietnam’s GDP in 2022, initially led to a death penalty sentence. However, under the new regulations, she will be eligible for a reduced sentence, according to her attorney, Phan Minh Hoang.
“We await the official procedures for implementing the amendment to follow with her case,” Hoang mentioned.
The updated legal framework also mandates that any individual sentenced to death for these specific crimes, but not executed by July 1, will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment pending final approval by Vietnam’s highest judiciary.
As a result of these changes, the harshest possible punishment for Lan’s offenses has been reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Hoang further expressed that efforts to address the financial damages are ongoing in hopes of further reducing her sentence.
This legislative shift is anticipated to influence other current legal proceedings, including a recent trial involving Phuc Son Group, a real estate and infrastructure development company. Its chairman, Nguyen Van Hau, stands accused of distributing over $5 million in bribes to secure substantial infrastructure contracts across multiple provinces.
With these legal adjustments, Vietnam now retains the death penalty for 10 specific crimes, including murder, child sexual abuse, treason, and acts of terrorism.
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