Specifically, the trial panel sentenced the mastermind of the case, Mai Thi Hong Hanh, ex-Director and Chairwoman of the Board of Members of Xuyen Viet Oil, to 11 years in prison for the crime of “giving bribes” and 17 years for “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing loss and wastefulness.” The combined sentence is 28 years in prison, 2 years less than the first-instance verdict.

The case represents a major corruption scandal in Vietnam’s energy sector, spanning both central and local levels.