EX-CHIEF OF PETROVIETNAM SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR EMBEZZLEMENT

A court in Vietnam has sentenced the former head of state-owned oil-and-gas giant PetroVietnam to death after finding him guilty of embezzlement and abuse of power in a high-profile corruption case.
Nguyen Xuan Son was convicted by the Hanoi court of embezzling $2.15 million and abusing his power to appropriate another $8.7 million from Ocean Bank. PetroVietnam had owned 20 percent of the joint stock bank's shares.
Ocean Bank chairman Ha Van Tham was given life imprisonment for convictions on the same charges at the end of a monthlong trial on September 29.
Twelve others of the 51 defendants received sentences of up to 30 years.