HO CHI MINH CITY: Livingston, Vietnam property tycoon, who was sentenced to death for fraud totaling US$ 27 billion, started on Monday ( Nov. 4 ) after she pleaded for a more “lenient and humane” sentence.
In one of the biggest problem instances in history, estate developer Truong My Lan, 68, was found guilty earlier this year of swindling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB), which lawyers claimed she controlled.
Tens of thousands of banks depositors lost income, shocking the socialist country and provoking sporadic protests from the patients.
Lan, wearing a blue clothing, was brought to court in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday under strong safety.
The judge will review Lan’s ask for a reduced statement, along with that of 47 another defendants, during a three-week charm attended by 100 lawyers, state media said.
Lan has even requested that a US$ 26. 5 million court fee be waived.
Around a hundred persons staged a tiny protest outside a Hanoi SCB tree demanding that the victims be reimbursed as the reading progressed.
Lan claimed that the death sentence was” very serious and harsh” in her written appeal, which was more than five pages long and was seen by AFP.
She requested that a more “honest and lenient view” be considered by the court.
I have traded and sacrificed a lot of enjoyment for myself and my family because of my passion for business and the desire to create and add through creating world-class jobs for Vietnam, according to the appeal.
Lan claimed that the force of the underdogs had caused her harm.
” Every day I still feel troubled and know why my home and I are in this predicament,” Lan said.
The appeal comes after Lan was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to life in a separate case next month.