HCMC — Le Thuy Hang, former general director of Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC), has appealed her 25-year prison sentence and asked the court to review a ruling requiring her to return 10,800 taels of gold to the state.
The HCMC People’s Court said on October 20 it had received Hang’s appeal. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison for embezzlement and eight years for abuse of power, with the combined sentence totaling 25 years.
In her appeal, Hang admitted her wrongdoing and asked for a reduced sentence, saying she wanted an opportunity to care for her elderly parents and contribute to society. She said she had a record of community involvement and would encourage her family to repay the illegal proceeds.
Hang also requested a review of the order to return 10,800 taels of gold, saying she could not afford it and that the amount did not represent the total used in illegal production but was accumulated from multiple trading cycles.
According to the indictment, Hang directed her subordinates to buy raw gold from outside sources and combine it with the State Bank of Vietnam’s defective gold to illegally produce 6,255 SJC gold bars and more than 11,500 gold rings. The revenue from sales was used to fund further illegal production.
The court determined her actions caused losses of more than VND107 billion to SJC, including VND11.6 billion from embezzlement and VND95.8 billion from other violations.
In the same case, Tran Tan Phat, former deputy director of the Tan Thuan jewelry workshop under SJC, received 22 years and six months in prison, and Mai Quoc Uy Vien, former director of the workshop, was sentenced to 15 years.
The court also ordered Hang and the other defendants to return over 17,000 taels of gold produced illegally to the State Treasury.
