Bribery, embezzlement and drug smuggling will no longer carry the death penalty in Vietnam after lawmakers passed sweeping legal reforms on Wednesday.
The 15th National Assembly adopted the Law on amendments and supplements to certain articles of the Penal Code, in which the death penalty for eight criminal offenses is abolished.
It abolishes the death penalty for eight criminal offenses: the crime aimed at overthrowing the people’s government; the crime of sabotaging state infrastructure and technical facilities; the crime of producing and trading counterfeit medicines for treatment and prevention; the crime of destroying peace and causing aggressive war; the crime of espionage; that of illegally transporting narcotics; embezzlement; and bribe taking.
It also includes a transitional provision: death sentence pronounced before July 1 for persons convicted of the above eight crimes but not yet executed shall no longer be carried out. The Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court will decide to convert the death sentence to life imprisonment.
The new law, which becomes effective from July 1, also increases the minimum prison sentences for several offenses related to the environment, food safety, and drug, while doubling the fines for crimes related to the environment, and the production and trading of counterfeit goods such as food, food additives, medicines for treatment and prevention, animal feed, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, pesticides, plant varieties, livestock breeds, food safety, as well as corruption-related crimes.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-ends-death-penalty-for-bribery-drug-smuggling-4906069.html
