Vietnamese Tycoon Truong My Lan's Death Sentence Upheld for Massive Bank Fraud
Truong My Lan faces execution for Saigon Commercial Bank’s $44 billion fraud, but can avoid it with partial restitution.
Vietnamese property mogul Truong My Lan has lost her appeal against the death sentence for orchestrating one of the largest bank frauds ever.
At 68, Truong My Lan was found guilty of controlling Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB), Vietnam’s fifth-largest lender, through clandestine means to secure loans and cash over a decade, totaling $44 billion.
Prosecutors stated that $27 billion was misappropriated and $12 billion embezzled, leading to her death penalty—a rare sentence for a woman in Vietnam for a white-collar crime.
The Vietnamese law provides her a chance to convert her sentence to life imprisonment if she repays 75% of the embezzled amount, specifically $9 billion.
Despite the court dismissing her recent appeal, Truong can still seek presidential amnesty.
Originating from a Sino-Vietnamese family in Ho Chi Minh City, Truong transitioned from a market vendor to owning expansive real estate holdings after Vietnam's economic reforms.
At her conviction, Truong was chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Group, coinciding with the ‘Blazing Furnaces’ anti-corruption efforts led by then-Communist Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong.
Of 85 co-defendants, her husband and niece received lesser sentences, though SCB needed state aid to evade a banking crisis.
Truong My Lan's assets, including luxury properties and shares, have been frozen.
Her legal team contends that leveraging these assets under the death penalty reduces effective sales capability.
They argue she possesses sufficient wealth but requires time for liquidation processes.
Truong, amid delays typical in Vietnam's death penalty enforcement, is racing to gather $9 billion to save her life.
At 68, Truong My Lan was found guilty of controlling Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB), Vietnam’s fifth-largest lender, through clandestine means to secure loans and cash over a decade, totaling $44 billion.
Prosecutors stated that $27 billion was misappropriated and $12 billion embezzled, leading to her death penalty—a rare sentence for a woman in Vietnam for a white-collar crime.
The Vietnamese law provides her a chance to convert her sentence to life imprisonment if she repays 75% of the embezzled amount, specifically $9 billion.
Despite the court dismissing her recent appeal, Truong can still seek presidential amnesty.
Originating from a Sino-Vietnamese family in Ho Chi Minh City, Truong transitioned from a market vendor to owning expansive real estate holdings after Vietnam's economic reforms.
At her conviction, Truong was chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Group, coinciding with the ‘Blazing Furnaces’ anti-corruption efforts led by then-Communist Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong.
Of 85 co-defendants, her husband and niece received lesser sentences, though SCB needed state aid to evade a banking crisis.
Truong My Lan's assets, including luxury properties and shares, have been frozen.
Her legal team contends that leveraging these assets under the death penalty reduces effective sales capability.
They argue she possesses sufficient wealth but requires time for liquidation processes.
Truong, amid delays typical in Vietnam's death penalty enforcement, is racing to gather $9 billion to save her life.
