Truong My Lan in 'mental distress' as prosecutors seek to uphold her death sentence

"Had I not been allowed to speak I would have fainted in my seat," she told the People’s High Court of Ho Chi Minh City Friday.

Prosecutors have said that no new developments at the appeal hearing warranted the commutation of Lan’s death sentence. "The recommendation caused me to be mentally distressed. I respectfully insist that the court and prosecutors review my case thoroughly."

She said "she just wanted to find a solution to pay back the State Bank of Vietnam."

The chairwoman of property developer Van Thinh Phat was awarded the death sentence in April for embezzling VND677 trillion ($27 billion) from Saigon Commercial Bank. "I have contributed a lot to SCB in the 10 years. I do not know what to say other than requesting the judges and the prosecutors to carefully review the facts once again."

Seeing that she was unstable, the judges allowed her to speak while sitting, but the 68-year-old requested to stand until she could no longer do so. "I am an old woman, and I do not know how my well-being will be in the coming days. Everybody has their limits, and today I am not doing well emotionally."

She said for years she had been trying to "resolve SCB’s difficulties and help it make money."

The judges gave her the weekend to review her statement and make her case again with the assistance of her lawyers in the next session of the trial.

One of her lawyers said commuting Lan’s death sentence would help her recognize her mistakes and show the "humanity and clemency of the law."

It would also allow foreign investors to help Lan revive major projects "to avoid waste to the country," they said.

Last month, in a separate trial, Lan was also awarded a life sentence for "fraudulent appropriation of assets" through bond issuances and illegal cross-border money transfers among other crimes.