In Vietnam’s most spectacular trial to date, a 67-year-old property developer was sentenced to death for orchestrating one of the world’s largest bank frauds.

Truong My Lan, a prominent figure in Ho Chi Minh City’s business scene, was convicted of embezzling billions from Saigon Commercial Bank over 11 years.

The trial, marked by unprecedented transparency from the typically secretive communist authorities, involved extensive evidence and numerous defendants, the BBC has reported.

Despite the severity of the verdict, including life imprisonment for some and hefty jail terms for others, questions linger about the endurance of corruption and its entanglement with Vietnam’s economic ambitions.

The case represents a pinnacle in the anti-corruption campaign led by Communist Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong, who faces the challenge of balancing economic growth with the crackdown on corruption as Vietnam strives to become a developed nation by 2045.

Written by B.C. Begley