A top Vietnamese property
tycoon sentenced to death by lethal injection after she was found to have embezzled $12.5billion has launched an appeal against her conviction, state media reported today.
Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, was found guilty this month of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade.
A panel of three jurors and two judges rejected all defence arguments and deemed her responsible, while Lan denied the charges and blamed subordinates.
Prosecutors say the total damages caused by the scam now amounts to $27 billion - one of the biggest frauds in history, equivalent to six percent of Vietnam's 2023 GDP.
Thanh Nien news site said the 68-year-old has now filed an appeal against the verdict and sentence and that the court in Ho Chi Minh City had received it.
Lan said in her appeal she took on risks through the bank but did not appropriate the bank's money.Truong My Lan (C), chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Holdings, sits during her trial at the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court
Truong My Lan (C) was found guilty of embezzlement in a fraud case amounting to $27bn totalAfter a five-week trial, 85 others were sentenced alongside Lan on charges ranging from bribery and abuse of power to appropriation and violations of banking law.
Lan denied the charges and said she had thoughts of suicide in her final remarks during the trial.