Death row property tycoon Truong My Lan hugs husband after 2-year separation

During a break in Lan’s appeal trial, the judges of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s High Court permitted the couple to meet. Lan had requested the meeting after noticing Chu’s apparent anxiety.

She quickly embraced Chu, who seemed more relaxed as he listened to her voice.

Chu in April requested for his wife "to live" after prosecutors proposed a death sentence for her. He also asked for a chance to "save her" by compensating for the consequences.

Eric Chu, husband of property tycoon Truong My Lan, seen at the People's High Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 4, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Lan, who is appealing her death sentence for embezzling Saigon Commercial Bank over the course of 10 years, asked the court Tuesday to consider the circumstances in which she committed her crimes and commute the death sentence.

The chairwoman of property developer Van Thinh Phat took responsibility for the crimes and requested for leniency for other defendants.

She asked for her assets to be unfrozen to use them as compensation for the losses she caused SCB, which was VND677 trillion (US$27 billion).

Lan also received a life sentence in a trial that ended last month for "fraudulent appropriation of assets" through bond issuances and illegal cross-border money transfers among others.