Latest news with #VanThinhPhat
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Vietnam ends death penalty for 8 crimes, may spare real estate tycoon
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned in the country's largest financial fraud case. The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, making and selling fake medicine, starting wars, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and taking bribes. Vietnamese lawmakers passed the reforms on Wednesday, according to state media. Truong My Lan, sentenced to death for her involvement in Vietnam's largest financial fraud case, will be eligible to have her sentence reduced after the reforms, her lawyer said Thursday. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat who was facing execution for her involvement in fraud amounting to $12.5 billion — nearly 3% of the country's 2022 GDP — will now be 'eligible for the exemption for the death penalty' according to the new rules, her lawyer Phan Minh Hoang told The Associated Press. 'We are still waiting for the official instructions of implementing the law amendment for next steps in her case,' Hoang said. The new rules also say that anyone already sentenced to death for these crimes but not yet executed by July 1 will have their sentence changed to life in prison after a final decision by Vietnam's highest court. After the legal changes, the maximum punishment for Lan's crimes will be life imprisonment without parole. Hoang said that they were continuing to work on repaying the damages to get her sentence further reduced. The law change will likely impact other ongoing trials such as the one that started earlier this week involving the real estate and infrastructure development company Phuc Son Group, whose chairman Nguyen Van Hau is accused of paying over US$5 million in bribes to win contracts for major infrastructure projects across three provinces. Following the change, Vietnam now has the death penalty for 10 crimes like murder, sexual abuse of children, treason and terrorism. Hau Dinh, The Associated Press
ABC News
26-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Truong My Lan likely spared death penalty after Vietnam ends the punishment for eight crimes
Vietnam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned for the country's largest financial fraud case. The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, making and selling fake medicine, starting wars, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and taking bribes. State media reported that Vietnamese lawmakers passed the reforms on Wednesday, local time. Minister of Public Security, Luong Tam Quang, said "the current structure of capital punishment was problematic and, in some cases, misaligned with evolving socio-economic conditions and the realities of crime prevention." Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for her involvement in Vietnam's largest financial fraud case, which was said to have caused $US27 billion ($41 billion) in total damages. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat was facing execution for her involvement in fraud amounting to $12.5 billion ($19b) — nearly 3 per cent of the country's 2022 GDP. However she will now be "eligible for the exemption for the death penalty" according to the new rules, her lawyer Phan Minh Hoang told The Associated Press. "We are still waiting for the official instructions of implementing the law amendment for next steps in her case," Mr Hoang said. The new rules also say that anyone already sentenced to death for these crimes but not yet executed by July 1 will have their sentence changed to life in prison after a final decision by Vietnam's highest court. After the legal changes, the maximum punishment for Lan's crimes will be life imprisonment without parole. Hoang said that they were continuing to work on repaying the damages to get her sentence further reduced. The law change will likely impact other ongoing trials such as the one that started earlier this week involving the real estate and infrastructure development company Phuc Son Group, whose chairman, Nguyen Van Hau, is accused of paying over $US5 million ($7.65m) in bribes to win contracts for major infrastructure projects across three provinces. Ten offences will remain subject to capital punishment in Vietnam, including murder, treason, terrorism and the sexual abuse of children, according to the report. Drug trafficking will also remain a capital offence. Capital punishment data is a state secret in Vietnam and it is not known how many people are currently on death row in the country. Lethal injection is the only method of execution after firing squads were abolished in 2011. ABC/wires
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Vietnam ends death penalty for 8 crimes, may spare real estate tycoon
Vietnam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned in the country's largest financial fraud case. The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, making and selling fake medicine, starting wars, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and taking bribes. Vietnamese lawmakers passed the reforms on Wednesday, according to state media. Truong My Lan, sentenced to death for her involvement in Vietnam's largest financial fraud case, will be eligible to have her sentence reduced after the reforms, her lawyer said Thursday. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat who was facing execution for her involvement in fraud amounting to $12.5 billion — nearly 3% of the country's 2022 GDP — will now be 'eligible for the exemption for the death penalty' according to the new rules, her lawyer Phan Minh Hoang told The Associated Press. 'We are still waiting for the official instructions of implementing the law amendment for next steps in her case,' Hoang said. The new rules also say that anyone already sentenced to death for these crimes but not yet executed by July 1 will have their sentence changed to life in prison after a final decision by Vietnam's highest court. After the legal changes, the maximum punishment for Lan's crimes will be life imprisonment without parole. Hoang said that they were continuing to work on repaying the damages to get her sentence further reduced. The law change will likely impact other ongoing trials such as the one that started earlier this week involving the real estate and infrastructure development company Phuc Son Group, whose chairman Nguyen Van Hau is accused of paying over $5 million in bribes to win contracts for major infrastructure projects across three provinces. Following the change, Vietnam now has the death penalty for 10 crimes like murder, sexual abuse of children, treason and terrorism.
Associated Press
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Vietnam ends death penalty for 8 crimes, may spare real estate tycoon
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned in the country's largest financial fraud case. The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, making and selling fake medicine, starting wars, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and taking bribes. Vietnamese lawmakers passed the reforms on Wednesday, according to state media. Truong My Lan, sentenced to death for her involvement in Vietnam's largest financial fraud case, will be eligible to have her sentence reduced after the reforms, her lawyer said Thursday. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat who was facing execution for her involvement in fraud amounting to $12.5 billion — nearly 3% of the country's 2022 GDP — will now be 'eligible for the exemption for the death penalty' according to the new rules, her lawyer Phan Minh Hoang told The Associated Press. 'We are still waiting for the official instructions of implementing the law amendment for next steps in her case,' Hoang said. The new rules also say that anyone already sentenced to death for these crimes but not yet executed by July 1 will have their sentence changed to life in prison after a final decision by Vietnam's highest court. After the legal changes, the maximum punishment for Lan's crimes will be life imprisonment without parole. Hoang said that they were continuing to work on repaying the damages to get her sentence further reduced. The law change will likely impact other ongoing trials such as the one that started earlier this week involving the real estate and infrastructure development company Phuc Son Group, whose chairman Nguyen Van Hau is accused of paying over $5 million in bribes to win contracts for major infrastructure projects across three provinces. Following the change, Vietnam now has the death penalty for 10 crimes like murder, sexual abuse of children, treason and terrorism.
CNN
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Vietnam to remove death penalty for embezzlement, sparing tycoon's life
Vietnam will remove the death penalty for eight offenses from next month, including embezzlement and activities aimed at overthrowing the government, parliament said on Wednesday, sparing the life of a tycoon in a $12 billion fraud case. The National Assembly, the country's lawmaking body, unanimously ratified the amendment to the Criminal Code earlier on Wednesday to abolish the death penalty for the crimes, it said in a statement. Other crimes that will no longer lead to the death penalty include vandalizing state property, manufacturing fake medicine, jeopardizing peace, triggering invasive wars, espionage and carrying drugs, the official Vietnam News Agency said. The maximum sentence for these crimes will now be life imprisonment, the report said. Those who were sentenced to death for these offenses before July 1 but have not yet been executed will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, the report added. These will include real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, who was sentenced to death last year on embezzlement charges. Lan's lawyers didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. 'According to the amendment of the Criminal Code, her sentence will automatically be reduced to life imprisonment,' lawyer Ngo Anh Tuan, who is not part of Lan's defense team, told Reuters. Ten offenses will remain subject to capital punishment in Vietnam, including murder, treason, terrorism and the sexual abuse of children, according to the report. Drug trafficking will also remain a capital offense. Capital punishment data is a state secret in Vietnam and it is not known how many people are currently on death row in the country. Lethal injection is the only method of execution after firing squads were abolished in 2011.
