Proposal to keep the death penalty for embezzlement and bribery
Continuing the 9th Session, on the morning of May 27, the National Assembly discussed in the hall the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Penal Code.
8 crimes expected to abolish the penalty, including: Activities to overthrow the people's government; Crime of destroying the facilities - techniques of the State; Crime of production and trading of fake goods is a medicine and preventive medicine; Crime of destroying peace, causing war of aggression; Spy crimes; Illegal transportation of narcotics; Crime of property embezzlement; Receiving bribes.
Giving his opinion, delegate Nguyen Thanh Sang (Ho Chi Minh City Delegation) proposed to consider abolishing the death penalty for embezzlement and bribery, especially in the context of the Party and State fighting strongly against corruption.
Mr. Sang said that the crimes of embezzlement of assets and bribery are currently very complicated, not only in the public sector but also in the private sector.
Citing evidence from the AVG case ( bribe of 3 million USD) and the Rescue Flight case ( bribe of hundreds of billions of VND), the delegate said that both cases have common characteristics, after being sentenced to death, the defendant has completely remedied all the consequences.
"People are watching and weighing whether the court has sentenced him to death or not. People know that if they do not fix it, they will die. Thus, it is clear that the death sentence is effective. So if the death sentence is abolished, will the effectiveness of asset recovery increase?" - Mr. Sang raised the issue.
Concerns that Vietnam will become a drug transit point for overseas drugs if the death penalty is abolished
For the crime of illegally transporting drugs, Mr. Sang also suggested not abolishing the death penalty. Giving the reason, the National Assembly delegate said that for the illegal drug trafficking to succeed, the transportator plays the most important role as an accomplice.
Although the highest penalty for this type of crime has been stipulated, the number of purchases, sales and transportations is increasing, with cases of seizing weights and tons of drugs.
"Some people say that the transportation was due to incitation. But I affirm that the person who transported hundreds of heroin cakes was a professional person, there is no reason to be lenient with this person. I am afraid that if we do not know how to abolish the death penalty for this crime, Vietnam will become an international transit point" - Mr. Sang said.
Sharing the same view, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Tam Hung (Ba Ria - Vung Tau delegation) also recommended that the drafting agency carefully consider and review the removal of the death penalty for drug trafficking crimes.
He said that for drug crimes, it is especially serious such as production, storage, transportation, trading... with large quantities with transnational factors. indirect but serious consequences affect national security and people's health.
"The death penalty can be chosen for particularly serious cases, organized, professional, recidivist or ring leader. At the same time, there should be appropriate mitigating policies for cases of sincere declaration and remediation of consequences" - the delegate proposed.
