HCMC – The National Assembly has passed a law amending and supplementing several provisions of the Penal Code, officially abolishing capital punishment for eight offenses, including embezzlement and bribery.
Specifically, 429 out of 439 deputies present at the NA sitting on June 25, accounting for 89.75% of the total number of deputies, voted in favor.
The death penalty for eight serious offenses were lifted, with life imprisonment now set as the highest possible punishment for these crimes.
The offenses include attempts to overthrow the people’s administration (Article 109), sabotage of national infrastructure (Article 114), production and trade of counterfeit medicines (Article 194), and illegal transportation of narcotics (Article 250). Also included are crimes such as acts of war and aggression (Article 421), espionage (Article 110), embezzlement (Article 353), and bribery (Article 354).
Regarding transitional provisions, the law stipulates that death sentences handed down before July 1, 2025, for individuals convicted of the eight aforementioned offenses under the Penal Code but not yet carried out, will no longer be executed.
Instead, the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court will issue a decision to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment.
The National Assembly has assigned the Supreme People’s Court to take the lead, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, and other relevant agencies, in reviewing cases of individuals sentenced to death who are eligible to have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, in accordance with the new provisions.
