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News
November 30, 2002
Vietnam Businesswoman
Sentenced to Death
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A businesswoman was
sentenced to death in southern Vietnam for embezzling nearly $1 million from the
government-owned company she headed, state-controlled media reported Saturday.
Truong Thi Thanh Huong, the former director of the An Giang Food Company, was
convicted of stealing the money during her tenure from 1996 to 1999, the Thanh
Nien newspaper said.
A court in An Giang also announced jail sentences of up to 20 years for seven
other company employees, while six other defendants were given suspended
sentences of two to three years on charges of embezzlement and intentional
violation of government rules, it said.
The ruling Communist Party has made fighting corruption a top priority, and more
than 600 officials have been brought to court this year for involvement in 280
corruption cases. They are among thousands of corruption cases being
investigated, state media have reported.
Also Saturday, the government-controlled Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper said a
senior police official has backed down from an earlier statement that
Cabinet-level officials were likely to be implicated in an expanding mafia case.
On Thursday, Deputy National Police Chief Le Thanh had told local reporters on
the sidelines of the ongoing National Assembly session that "in the coming time,
higher ranking officials may be prosecuted. I think there will be several other
officials, not just vice ministers."
The case revolving around Ho Chi Minh City mafia boss Truong Van Cam, known as
Nam Cam, has ensnared more than 150 people so far, including top government and
police officials.
In quotes published Saturday, Thanh backed down from his remarks, saying that he
was speaking only in general terms regarding the prosecution of top officials,
and not referring to the Nam Cam case.
"People who violate laws must be considered and dealt with in accordance with
the laws regardless of their position," he said. "When I said that, I mean
cadres ... who committed crimes will be dealt with, not specifically mentioning
the Nam Cam case."
It was unclear why he changed his statement.
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