(Ho Chi Minh City Comprehensive Television) 34 defendants, including Zhang Meilan, the richest man in Vietnam and the chairman of the real estate developer Wan Shengfa Group, faced money laundering trials on Thursday.
Zhang Meilan (67 years old) committed the largest financial fraud case in Vietnam, and was sentenced to death in April this year.She was taken to Ho Chi Minh Court on Thursday (September 19) to face a trial of another case.
She and 33 defendants, including her husband and niece, are expected to be a month of interrogation in the face of trials such as money laundering, illegal cross -border trading cash and fraud.
Zhang Meilan was accused of issuing more than 36,000 investors through the issuance of bonds, and misappropriated more than 3 billion Vietnam South Shield (about S $ 1.6 billion).
Due to the large number of defendants, nearly 100 lawyers representing the defendant attended the trial.Dozens of victims were required to enter the hall to hear trial.The court arranged 1,000 chairs and large televisions in the outdoor corridor and open space to facilitate public trial.
Huang Yuxie, one of the victims, said that she was deceived by about S $ 89,000, and she suffered from depression after the incident."I hope that the court can have a favorable result to let the victims get back their hard -earned money ... make life no longer so difficult."
Dozens of victims rallied in Hanoi earlier to protest in Hanoi, asking the government to assist them to recover the cheated money.
Bloomberg reported that Zhang Meilan was again charged with the court to face money laundering trials, highlighting the determination to continue to crack down on corruption.
Zhang Meilan broke the funds of approximately S $ 16.2 billion from February 2018 to October 2022.This amount has exceeded the market value of most commercial banks in Vietnam, which is equivalent to nearly 3%of Vietnam's GDP in 2022.The Vietnamese court sentenced her to death and death.She has appealed to the death penalty.
