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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Bali nine 'bribes' probe ends, key witnesses not questioned

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Indonesian authorities have shut down an investigation into allegations that judges asked for bribes in exchange for more lenient sentences for executed Bali nine pair Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan without interviewing the judges and a key lawyer involved in the case.

Muhammad Rifan, one of the men's former lawyers, made the sensational allegations that the judges asked for more than $130,000 for the drug smugglers to be given a prison term of less than 20 years during their original trial.

As revealed by Fairfax Media, Mr Rifan alleged the deal fell through after the judges presiding over the hearings in Denpasar District Court asked for more money because they were under pressure from the Indonesian Supreme Court and Attorney-General's Department to apply the death penalty.

After starting and then abandoning its investigation before Sukumaran and Chan were executed by firing squad, the judicial commission – which oversees the probity of Indonesian judges – re-commenced the probe after their deaths.

"The report on the alleged breach of the code of ethics is closed because the judicial commission has not got sufficient evidence," said Imam Anshori Saleh, a member of the commission.

"Rifan's testimony was heard but he refused for it to be [officially] put in the interrogation report," he said.

"Meanwhile, Peter [Johnson's] lawyers have been summoned twice but refused to meet with us and respond."

Without the lawyers' evidence, the judicial commission won't interview the judges or other witnesses.


Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, Tom Allard, August 23, 2015

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