Vietnam Tycoon Lan to Avoid Death Penalty After Law Change

Vietnam abolished the death penalty for eight crimes including bribery and embezzlement, paving the way for tycoon Truong My Lan to be spared execution, according to a senior parliament official.

The National Assembly approved changes to the criminal law Wednesday that allow death sentences for these crimes to be commuted to life in jail. The law takes effect on July 1, after which “the court will issue an official decision on Lan’s case to convert her death sentence to life imprisonment,” according to Nguyen Truong Giang, deputy head of the parliament’s law committee.