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Female Billionaire Sentenced To Death For Looting $44bn

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A Vietnamese billionaire, Truong My Lan, has been sentenced to death for looting one of Vietnam’s largest banks for 11 years.

Truong My Lan, 67, was sentenced to death on Thursday, April 11, at the stately yellow portico of the colonial-era courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 67-year-old Vietnamese property developer is one of the very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white-collar crime.

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Truong My Lan was convicted of taking out $44 billion (£35 billion) in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. The verdict requires her to return $27 billion, a sum prosecutors said may never be retrieved.

Some believe the death penalty is the court’s way of trying to encourage her to return some of the missing billions.

About 2,700 people were summoned to testify during the trial, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved. The evidence was in 104 boxes weighing a total of six tonnes, while 85 defendants were tried with Truong My Lan, who denied the charges.

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“There has never been a show trial like this, I think, in the communist era,” said David Brown, a retired US State Department official with long experience in Vietnam. “There has certainly been nothing on this scale.”

The trial was the most dramatic chapter so far in the “Blazing Furnaces” anti-corruption campaign led by the Communist Party Secretary-General, Nguyen Phu Trong.

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Woman Who Married Herself Files For Divorce After One Year

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A London-based influencer, Sullen Carey, has divorced herself after just one year of marriage. The 36-year-old Brazilian model made headlines last year when she wed herself in a ceremony widely recognized as “sologamy.”

She shared the unconventional event with her 400,000 Instagram followers, attracting significant media attention worldwide.

According to reports, Carey’s decision to end her solo marriage came despite her efforts to make it work, including attending couples therapy sessions by herself.

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Suellen sought therapy to navigate her emotions, undergoing 10 sessions to save her self-marriage. Ultimately, she decided that ending the marriage was the healthiest choice. “I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, which left me exhausted,” she confessed, acknowledging the emotional toll it had taken.

READ ALSO: US Court Sentences American To 40 Years For Beheading Gokada Nigeria Founder

Though she described marrying herself as an “enriching” experience and a journey of self-discovery, Suellen said she has no regrets about ending it. “I realised my sologamous marriage was a healing process, but personal growth can lead us in different directions,” she explained.

Suellen said she is ready for a new chapter, expressing openness to a traditional relationship. “I’ve decided it’s time to move on and open my heart to new possibilities, including finding a partner.”

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US Court Sentences American To 40 Years For Beheading Gokada Nigeria Founder

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A 25-year-old American man, Tyrese Haspil, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the murder of his former boss, Fahim Saleh, 33, in New York City.

Saleh was the founder and CEO of Nigerian transportation company, Gokada.

People.com reports that Haspil, who worked as Saleh’s executive assistant, had been embezzling funds from his employer and killed him to avoid being caught.

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Haspil’s sentencing followed his conviction by a New York State Supreme Court jury two months ago.

He was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree grand larceny and other charges.

The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg Jr., in a press release on Tuesday, said, “Today, Tyrese Haspil is facing accountability for brutally murdering and decapitating Fahim Saleh, a kind, generous, and empathetic person who positively impacted the world.

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“Even after the defendant stole from him to fund a lavish lifestyle, Mr. Saleh still gave him a second chance. While today’s sentence won’t bring Mr. Saleh back, I hope it provides his family a sense of closure as they continue to mourn his painful loss.”

According to prosecutors, surveillance footage captured Haspil entering Saleh’s apartment building in Lower Manhattan on July 13, 2020, and following him into the elevator.

Upon exiting the elevator, which led directly into Saleh’s apartment, Haspil deployed a taser against Saleh’s back and then repeatedly stabbed him in the neck and torso with a knife, resulting in his death.

Surveillance footage of convicted killer Tyrese Haspil, who killed and decapitated his mentor, tech CEO Fahim Saleh, after embezzling nearly $400,000. Photo: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office/ New York Post
The next day, Haspil returned to the apartment where he “dismembered and decapitated Mr. Saleh’s body using the saw and placed the body parts in pre-ordered construction bags,” as stated in the release.

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Saleh’s cousin made the discovery after visiting his apartment to check on his welfare, having not received any communication from him in 24 hours. She immediately notified the police.

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Prosecutors stated that Haspil left the apartment to obtain a battery charger for the saw but did not return after observing police in the building.

He was arrested four days later at an Airbnb location he had rented to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.

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The Gokada founder had discovered Haspil’s embezzlement of thousands of dollars from his accounts, to which Haspil had access as his executive assistant since 2018.

The district attorney’s office said that Haspil set up a Paypal account and a corporate bank account to funnel Saleh’s money.

Haspil generated fake financial statements and used a name that closely resembled those of legitimate transactions, making it difficult for Saleh to detect the embezzlement.

“Haspil resigned in May 2019, knowing Mr. Saleh would learn about the embezzlement, yet continued to steal money [and] increasing the amounts,” prosecutors said.

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The district attorney’s office reported that Haspil repaid Saleh using funds obtained through the PayPal scheme, but the embezzlement continued, ultimately reaching an estimated total of $400,000.

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According to prosecutors, Haspil had plotted to murder Saleh at least three times before ultimately carrying out the crime in July 2020, reportedly in an attempt to hide the embezzlement and prevent Saleh from potentially serving as a witness against him.

Saleh’s company issued a statement after his passing, describing his dedication to Nigeria and its youth as “immeasurable.”

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He believed young Nigerians are extremely bright and talented individuals who would flourish if just given the right opportunity.

“Fahim also believed that technology can transform lives and improve safety and efficiency. He built Gokada to act upon these beliefs,” the statement read.

Gokada is a ride-hailing service in Nigeria which launched in 2017 before diversifying into Logistics and Food Delivery in 2020.

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How Nigerian Lawyer, Ogebe Secured Release Of Nigerian Man From Death Row In Indonesia

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Emmanuel Ihejirika, a Nigerian man sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia, has been freed after spending several years in prison.

The news of his release was disclosed by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in a statement on Friday through the organization’s spokesman, Gabriel Odu.

Ihejirika’s release was made possible through the efforts of Emmanuel Isha Ogebe, a Nigerian lawyer based in Washington D.C., who took up his case pro bono.

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Dabiri-Erewa, speaking after a meeting with Ogebe in Washington D.C., lauded the lawyer for his selflessness and dedication in handling the case.

Years earlier, a Nigerian delegation led by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ojo Madueke, and including Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who was then a member of the House of Representatives, and former NDLEA Chairman Mr. Ipinmosho, visited an Indonesian prison to plead for clemency on behalf of 21 Nigerians sentenced to death for drug trafficking.

Despite their efforts, four of the convicts, alongside an Indonesian and a British citizen, were executed.

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Ogebe later reached out to Dabiri-Erewa to request her intervention in Ihejirika’s case, which appeared to involve mistaken identity.

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Ogebe offered his services for free and took the case to Indonesia’s Supreme Court, where Ihejirika was eventually exonerated and freed.

Dabiri-Erewa emphasised the severe consequences of drug trafficking in Indonesia, where the penalty is death, and urged Nigerians to avoid criminal activities.

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She also commended Ogebe for his remarkable contribution and thanked the Nigerian Charge D’Affaires in Indonesia, Ms. Patricia Alechenu, for her unwavering support throughout the case.

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