Tycoon may have death penalty changed if he pays R$54 billion in Vietnam

If Lan manages to return three-quarters of the embezzled money (approximately R$54 billion) while he is on death row, it is possible that the sentence will be commuted to life in prison, according to the report.

She is one of the most famous business executives and state officials caught up in the communist country’s long-running anti-bribery campaign known as the “Burning Furnace.”

“The consequences that Lan caused are unprecedented in the history of litigation, and the amount of money embezzled is incredibly large and irrecoverable,” the prosecution said at the appeal hearing, according to state-run online newspaper VietnamNet.

“The defendant’s actions affected many aspects of society, the financial market and the economy,” he said.

State media quoted Lan’s lawyer as saying she had many mitigating factors, including “admitting guilt, demonstrating remorse and returning part of the embezzled amount of money”, but prosecutors said this was insufficient.

Reuters was unable to reach Lan’s lawyers for comment at first.