Vietnam ex-government accountant sentenced to death for theft

A view of the Supreme Court in Hanoi. An ex-government accountant became the latest person to be sentenced to death for financial crimes today in Vietnam’s crackdown on corruption. (Tran The Trung/Wikipedia pic)

HANOI: A Hanoi court sentenced the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology’s former chief accountant to death after Nguyen Hoang was convicted of embezzling more than 152 billion dong (US$6.2 million), according to a posting on the Vietnam government’s website.

Hoang was found guilty of committing theft between March 2009 and February 2023, the statement said. He hid his activities by modifying financial statements from 2009 to 2017, it added.

The use of the death penalty for financial crimes has come under the spotlight in recent months after real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death in April for her role in a US$12 billion fraud case.

The latest conviction is another sign that Vietnam’s years-long anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by the late Communist party secretary Nguyen Phu Trong shows no sign of slowing down. The push has touched all sectors of society and the highest levels of government.

Hoang admitted to the charges against him, saying the money was spent for personal use and gambling, according to the police investigation.

Two institute directors and another former chief accountant were sentenced to between three and four years in prison for failing to act responsibly, leading to serious consequences, the statement said.