this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2024
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Summary

Vietnam’s High People’s Court upheld the death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, convicted of embezzlement and bribery in a record $12 billion fraud case.

Lan can avoid execution by returning $9 billion (three-quarters of the stolen funds), potentially reducing her sentence to life imprisonment.

Her crimes caused widespread economic harm, including a bank run and $24 billion in government intervention to stabilize the financial system.

Lan has admitted guilt but prosecutors deemed her actions unprecedentedly damaging. She retains limited legal recourse through retrial procedures.

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[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 196 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

All we gotta do is sentence a handful of billionaires to death and watch the behaviour change when they realize they're not insulated from consequence anymore.

[–] Hugin@lemmy.world 42 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah but what they are going to do is make sure they get those protections back. They aren't going to get better.

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Then sentence more of them as necessary. Im all for sweeping changes but we're not getting them. Convincing America to kill someone seems way more likely to me.

[–] crank0271@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You didn't hear it from me, but I heard that billionaire skipped the fare on the subway...

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Shit, that's peanuts. Every single billionaire worldwide wakes up every single day, and actively chooses to murder people. I'm not being hyperbolic.

[–] NewNewAccount@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

Imagine all the outrage from red state conservatives if we attempted this.

[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 35 points 2 weeks ago

Or from blue state liberals because "we're better than them" or some shit.

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[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Hold them accountable for all the preventable deaths resulting from them screwing around with the economy. 2008 would have seen a ton of them going to prison for the rest of their life.

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[–] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 97 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Two things America loves: billionaires and the death sentence. It has just never thought to combine them in this way.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't care for billionaires or the death sentence.

If we revised the system I could be okay with the death sentence in some situations but the way it is now makes absolutely no sense.

[–] makyo@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

I am against the death penalty and would only give it consideration in the case of billionaires

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[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 59 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Can we do this in Canada?? I know of a few deserving candidates

[–] badhops@sh.itjust.works 33 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)
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[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 47 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Any fans of George Carlin here? Remember his bit about the death penalty saying that he would rather have it be done not to poor violent criminals like gangsters and common idiotic murderers, but would rather have it done to the people who really and truly fear death... like major league white collar criminals.

Gang members live violent lives and often don't have optimistic views for the future, so they know that any day might be their last. A wealthy ass failson of super millionaires who prides himself on fucking over thousands of people every day and is almost pleased to see lawsuits coming in for stolen wages and sexual harassment, however, is confident that they will die free and wealthy and probably have some active organizations named after them.

So the death penalty for them, especially when are forced to spend their time awaiting it in some cold, damp and dirty cell with prison guards who were born in poverty and treat them no differently than some poor drug-addicted shoplifter, is a terrifying concept. Also what needs to happen is that ALL their assets are confiscated. I mean ALL of them. No loopholes for transferring that shit overseas or 'technically it's in my wife's/Son's name' bullshit. They get nothing. Their family gets nothing and will be, at best, a middle class family with middle class prospects going forward (no more failsons from that lineage).

This would be the best punishment for any billionaire. They die, get buried in a potter's field or prison graveyard like common thugs, and their legacies smashed.

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[–] Ekybio@lemmy.world 47 points 2 weeks ago

Nice to see some good news for once

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 42 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

returning $9 billion (three-quarters of the stolen funds)

You can keep the 3 billion and live?

reducing her sentence to life imprisonment.

but it has to be in jail?

[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 40 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You can keep the 3 billion and live?

No, as another comment pointed out, that isn't legal. The assets she has from her embezzled money aren't liquid; she doesn't have $12 billion literally sitting in a bank account. These have to be sold off for đồng, and especially if she's forced to quickly sell them off in exchange for her life (somehow another reason why the death penalty is stupid), she'll likely retrieve substantially less than she could otherwise by being able to wait for better opportunities to sell.

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago

đồng

Teehee

[–] HopesBeyondTheSky@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

She still deserves to be in jail. $12 billion is no small amount, and if she can pay back that $9 billion, or even if she can pay back the entire amount, she still had committed a serious crime and deserves to go to jail.

And don’t even think about her keeping that $3 billion. That’s illegal money that she still needs to pay back.

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[–] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 39 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't support the death penalty, but I won't be terribly sad if a criminal billionaire gets executed by their own government.

[–] Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

I fully support it for the rich and powerful just because prisons can't reliably hold them. If they're not put in the ground, they'll worm their way out of consequences eventually.

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[–] NotAnotherLemmyUser@lemmy.world 32 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

The amount of people in here pushing for the death penalty when it's used on people they dislike is sickening...

This is a penalty that needs to be abolished, not expanded or made exceptions for.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

You're completely right.

However, I feel like I'd make an exception for people who massively contribute to an actual existential threat to humanity. Ie billionaires. All billionaires.

I'm not saying we should kill them. I'm saying we should use the possibility of that being on the table to make them pay their taxes. The entire planet is ruined by billionaires when we could literally everyone have enough to have our basic needs met while having an economy and industry which isn't on track to make the planet uninhabitable for us, seeing as it's the only planet known to support life.

Yes, all life is important. That's why all life should be protected by making sure the planet doesn't become one huge airfryer. If while doing that a few billionaires get guillotined, I'm honestly fine with it. I'd prefer they'd just actually help people instead of being selfish assholes, but if them being selfish assholes is putting everyone else in danger, then the choice is clear, no matter your views on the death penalty. (Which as you say, shouldn't be a thing.)

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[–] GhiLA@sh.itjust.works 26 points 2 weeks ago (10 children)

Revolutions aren't pillow fights.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

True, but they’re demands of a better world. There’s a difference between killing in a revolution and a 60 year old communist government executing an embezzler instead of giving her life in prison

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[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (8 children)

Why, though? The usual reasoning for abolishing the death penalty is the argument that we might make a mistake and mistakenly sentence innocent people to death. But what about crimes like this, where the crime is entirely on paper, fully documented, and with no risk that you're prosecuting the wrong person?

Edit: I'm not sure why I'm getting downvoted with no replies. I'm asking an actual question here, if you disagree why not state your opinion?

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[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Nonsense. I oppose the death penalty for almost all crimes. It's just too easy to render an inaccurate verdict, and you can't undo an execution.

But we don't have any doubt about billionaires. They're verifiably guilty beyond any shadow of a doubt.

I also think they should be able to avoid the death penalty by giving up their wealth and living on minimum wage for a number of years equal to the number of billions they captured and withheld from society.

[–] ouch@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

Seems to be a common mindset among americans. As european I don't understand it.

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[–] pyre@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago

I'm against the death penalty. I have many objections to it. though if the person at hand is a billionaire all but one of my objections disappear.

the one remaining is that I'd rather not have the government have the power to kill its citizens. so I'm willing to accept life sentences and forfeiture of all assets instead. mind that the crime I'm talking about here is being a billionaire.

[–] DontMakeMoreBabies@lemm.ee 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Bring this shit to the US. Chop chop.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 19 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

They defrauded 12 billion, only have to pay 9? Sounds like they just made 3 billion.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago

Return 3/4 of what was stolen to get execution downgraded to life imprisonment that’s not getting away with it.

That said, my general opposition to the death penalty does influence me here.

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[–] Saint_La_Croix_Crosse@midwest.social 25 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

These god-damn violent tankies. Vietnam should have just fined her a much smaller amount than the corrupt practices made them, like how the West handles corrupt oligarchs.

[–] ByteOnBikes 25 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Seriously. If she was born in the West, she'd be on the cover of Forbes and taking photos next to celebs.

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[–] FleetingTit@feddit.org 25 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm fundamentally against capital punishment. This could be an acceptable exception though.

Eat the rich!

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So not fundamentally, then.

[–] mrslt@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

It's okay, billionaires aren't real people.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago

We now have precedent y'all

[–] RangerJosie@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago

This is the right way to deal with these ghouls.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

She's a real estate profiteering billionaire who conned regular people out of their savings. I say let her pay 100% back and then fetch the guillotine.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

So make it a one time only thing then? Next billionaire you have in the dock will know you can’t be trusted to keep your word (“return the money and your life will be spared“) and so will have zero reason to cooperate.

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[–] inv3r510n@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago

Cries in American

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 18 points 2 weeks ago

Ban wealth hoarding.

[–] fritobugger2017@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Gonna need a really good "Go Fund Me"

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