This morning (December 3rd), the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City held an appeal trial for Truong My Lan (Chairman of Van Thinh Phat Group) and 47 other defendants in a case involving violations at Van Thinh Phat Group, Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SCB), and related entities. The court has proceeded to announce the verdict.
HĐXX appeals trial phase 1 of Van Thinh Phat case. Photo: Tan Chau
Previously, during the debate at this trial, the prosecutor reserved the opinion of upholding the death sentence for Truong My Lan on the charge of “Embezzlement of assets”, accepting the appeal, and proposing to the Court to reduce Lan’s sentence from 16-18 years in prison (the first instance sentenced to 20 years in prison) for the charge of “Violation of lending regulations in the activities of credit organizations”. For the charge of “Bribery”, the prosecutor found insufficient grounds to reduce the sentence.
The prosecutor proposed that the appellate court sentence Truong My Lan to death for the combination of the three charges.
Representative of the prosecutor at the trial reserved the opinion of upholding the death sentence for Truong My Lan. Photo: Tan Chau
The prosecutor argued that Truong My Lan had many mitigating circumstances, including admitting guilt, showing remorse, making a full confession, and voluntarily compensating for the damage caused, as well as providing all asset codes to aid in the recovery process.
Regarding the reason for rejecting the appeal and proposing to uphold the death sentence for Truong My Lan, the prosecutor stated that for the charge of “Embezzlement of assets” (for which Ms. Lan was proposed to be sentenced to death), according to Point c, Clause 3, Article 40 of the Penal Code, a person sentenced to death must proactively return 3/4 of the property, proactively cooperate, or make significant contributions to be exempt from the death penalty. As Truong My Lan embezzled 304,000 billion VND, she would have to return 280,000 billion VND to provide a basis for the prosecutor to propose a reduced sentence for her death penalty.
Truong My Lan and the defendants at the trial. Photo: Tan Chau
For the remaining defendants, the prosecutor accepted some of the appeals, including proposing to reduce the sentence for Lan’s husband, Chu Lap Co (Chairman of Times Square Company), and her granddaughter, Truong Hue Van (General Director of Windsor Property Management Group)… The prosecutor also proposed that the Court reject the appeals of some other defendants.
The Final Verdict: Unraveling the Fate of Truong My Lan and Her Accomplices
After the prosecution maintained the death penalty for Truong My Lan, the judges allowed the defendants to have their final words and adjourned to consider their verdict. The verdict will be announced on December 3rd.
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The Prosecution Rejects the Proposal to Hand Over Truong My Lan’s Assets to SCB for Handling
The VKS representative refuted most of SCB’s requests regarding the handling of Truong My Lan’s assets, as well as the demand for Lan to compensate for the interest of 1,243 loans.
The Final Words from Mrs. Truong My Lan in Court
The representative from the HCMC-based Higher People’s Procuracy maintained their stance on the death sentence for the defendant, Truong My Lan.
What Conditions Could Spare Truong My Lan from the Death Sentence?
“In a recent development, the VKSND representative has stated that for a reduction in the death sentence, the accused, Truong My Lan, must return three-quarters of the embezzled assets. This move could potentially pave the way for leniency in the sentencing, offering a glimmer of hope for the accused.”
