Vietnam to Abolish Death Penalty for Embezzlement, Saving Tycoon’s Life
Vietnam’s National Assembly voted to abolish the death penalty for eight offenses including embezzlement, effective next month, which spares the life of a tycoon involved in a $12 billion fraud. Those sentenced to death before July 1 will have their sentences reduced to life imprisonment. Ten offenses, such as murder and treason, will still carry the death penalty.
Vietnam has taken a significant step in reforming its legal system by officially abolishing the death penalty for eight offenses, including embezzlement. This change, ratified unanimously by the National Assembly, goes into effect next month. It effectively spares the life of a prominent tycoon involved in a $12-billion fraud case, illustrating the gravity of this legal adjustment.
The new amendments to the Criminal Code will also remove capital punishment for crimes such as vandalism of state property, production of counterfeit medicines, breaching peace, causing invasive wars, espionage, and drug offenses. As it stands now, the maximum penalty for these offenses will be life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.
In a related note, those who were previously sentenced to death for the scrapped offenses prior to July 1 will automatically have their sentences commuted to life in prison. Real estate mogul Truong My Lan, who was sentenced to death in 2024 for embezzlement, is notably affected by this amendment.
Her legal representation has not yet responded to inquiries regarding this change, but another lawyer clarified the implications of the amendment. “According to the amendment of the Criminal Code, her sentence will automatically be reduced to life imprisonment,” said Ngo Anh Tuan, who is not part of Lan’s defense team.
Despite this landmark change, ten offenses will still carry the death penalty in Vietnam, including murder, treason, terrorism, and child sexual abuse. The serious nature of drug trafficking means it too remains a capital offense.
Lastly, Vietnam keeps the specifics of its capital punishment statistics under wraps, leaving the public in the dark about how many individuals are currently facing death row. The country switched exclusively to lethal injection as a method of execution after banning firing squads back in 2011.
As Vietnam continues to evolve its legal landscape, this move against the death penalty may indicate a broader shift in how the state handles severe crimes and sanctions their punishments, hinting at a more lenient approach in certain cases.
The decision to eliminate the death penalty for embezzlement and several other crimes marks a significant shift in Vietnam’s criminal justice policy. It notably spares the life of notable entrepreneur Truong My Lan, whose death sentence has now been converted to life imprisonment. As the nation retains the death penalty for murder and other severe offenses, this legal reform shows Vietnam’s evolving stance towards punishment and human rights in recent years.
Original Source: www.usnews.com
