In May, Justice Minister Nguyen Dinh Loc presented...

In May, Justice Minister Nguyen Dinh Loc presented to the National Assembly (NA) the draft of the amended Penal Code containing new offenses arising from the market economy. A report by the National Assembly Law Committee said the number of offenses punishable by death was reduced to 30 from 44 in the current law, while the number subject to fines was increased to 73 from 9. However, the Committee proposed abolishing the death penalty for more crimes.