Property tycoon Truong My Lan’s death sentence appeal to be reviewed next month

The People’s High Court of Ho Chi Minh City will review Lan's request for a reduced sentence, along with that of 46 other defendants involved in crimes at Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) and property developer Van Thinh Phat.

The trial will see 100 lawyers representing the defendants, with five assigned to Lan.

In April Lan, former chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat, was sentenced to death for embezzling VND677 trillion (US$27 billion) Saigon Commercial Bank over 10 years. She was also found guilty of bribery and violating banking regulations.

The judges convicted her of being the mastermind in a long-term scheme in which the bank was used as a cash cow.

To cover the wrongdoing at SCB, Lan ordered her subordinates to bribe auditors of the State Bank of Vietnam.

Its head banking inspector Do Thi Nhan received $5.2 million in bribe and was given a life sentence.

Do Thi Nhan, head banking inspector of the State Bank of Vietnam, seen at a court in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Lan’s husband Eric Chu was given nine years for aiding his wife in the fraud, and her niece Truong Hue Van received a sentence of 17 years.

Lan additionally received a life sentence in a trial which ended this month for fraudulent asset appropriation through bond issuance, money laundering, and illegal cross-border money transfers.